NHL Player Safety has announced that former Carolina Hurricanes forward Max Domi has been fined $5,000 for boarding Aleksander Barkov during the Toronto Maple Leafs' Game 4 matchup against the Florida Panthers on May 12. This is the most Domi could have been fined under the current CBA.

The incident occurred in the final seconds of Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers. While both teams were battling for the puck, Domi hit Barkov from behind into the boards. For the hit, Domi was handed a five-minute major for boarding at the 20:00 mark of the third period.

Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Aleksander Barkov pic.twitter.com/o2BQ6pKtLb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025

Domi is known for being a gritty player, but the former Hurricanes forward took it too far with this hit on Barkov. Because of it, he has now been fined.

Domi, 30, was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2021-22 season in a three-team trade involving the Panthers. In 19 regular-season games with the Hurricanes following the move, he posted two goals, seven points, 18 penalty minutes, and a plus-8 rating. He also appeared in 14 playoff games for the Hurricanes in 2022, recording three goals, six points, and a plus-6 rating.

Domi's time with the Hurricanes ended during the 2022 NHL off-season when he signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency.

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Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube didn't mince his words when reflecting on the final minutes of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 loss on Sunday to the Florida Panthers.

Max Domi, in the dying seconds of the game, with a loose puck along the boards, checked Aleksander Barkov from behind. A larger scrum followed, with several Panthers players jumping on Domi for the hit to their captain.

Domi was assessed a five-minute boarding major on the play and received a $5,000 fine by NHL Player Safety the morning after. At the time of publishing, no other fines or suspensions have come from Sunday night's game.

On Monday morning, before the fine was levied, Berube gave his perspective on the Domi hit on Barkov: "Whatever. That's League's stuff," he said. "To me, the (Dmitry) Kulikov hit on (Mitch) Marner was 10 times worse."

'Just Talking. That's What He Does': William Nylander And Matthew Tkachuk Chirp After Panthers' Game 4 Win Over Maple LeafsChaos erupted as the final buzzer went in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday in Game 4 of the series.

What Berube is referring to is Kulikov's elbow to the head of Marner during the second period. Marner, after looking dazed for a brief second, glanced at an official to see if there'd be a penalty called.

In the end, there was no penalty to Kulikov for the hit. Did Berube at least get an explanation as to why it wasn't a penalty?

"No," he smiled.

Toronto gave Florida six power play opportunities during Sunday's loss, four in the first period alone. The Maple Leafs killed the first three penalties before Carter Verhaeghe scored following Oliver Ekman-Larsson's delay of game call.

'We Don't Need To Take Those': Maple Leafs' Discipline Issues In Game 4 Killed Momentum In Loss To PanthersThe Toronto Maple Leafs managed to do what no team had done throughout the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs until their 2-0 Game 4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday... They took four penalties in the opening 20 minutes of the game.

It wasn't Toronto's best game of the playoffs; however, they're going home with the series tied at two. If you like to look at things from a glass-half-full approach, that's a positive.

But the Maple Leafs need to keep up with Florida's pace and style of play. Toronto outhit (47-40) and outblocked (18-12) Florida in Game 4, indicating they can remain in the physical battles.

The toughest games are still ahead, though. The Maple Leafs need to continue showing they can stand up to the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

'Big Goal's Coming': Maple Leafs’ Craig Berube Dismisses Concerns Over Auston Matthews’ Playoff Goal DroughtFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Through the first four games of the Toronto Maple Leafs' second-round series with the Florida Panthers, Auston Matthews has been held off the score sheet. And it certainly hasn't been due to a lack of chances.

"We expected it, and I think we're fine with it," Berube said of the temperature rising in the series. "We're handling it, we're physical. I thought we were the more physical team last night."

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The physicality and nastiness of the second-round series between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs has been steadily increasing.

During Sunday’s Game 4, there were several big hits, some that led to penalties and some that did not.

A high elbow from Dmitry Kulikov that caught Mitch Marner in the head went uncalled and drew the ire of Toronto’s bench.

Kulikov lands a high elbow on Marner pic.twitter.com/Xtf3d0kSUb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025

Marner, to his credit, seemed fine and continued on in the game.

Florida’s Evan Rodrigues left the game early after taking a hit from Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the third period that initially was called a major penalty before officials downgraded it to a minor. Nevertheless, it was one of several nasty hits that the Cats and Leafs were laying on one another.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is handed a 2 minute minor for interference on Evan Rodrigues 🫣 pic.twitter.com/U7Xa9Ux8IH

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 12, 2025

Later in the game, as the clock was about to expire on Florida’s 2-0 victory that evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, the puck was being tied up in the corner to the right of Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

As players battled for the puck, Toronto’s Max Domi lined up Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov and drilled him from behind and into the boards, a very dangerous play.

Domi received a five-minute major for boarding at the 20:00 mark of the game.

It took the NHL Department of Player Safety just over 12 hours to come to a decision regarding the hit, fining Domi $5,000, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.

Toronto’s Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 12, 2025

The bad blood between the two teams will have a couple days to simmer, as Game 5 isn’t until Wednesday night in Toronto.

With the series now a best-of-three, there should be no shortage of intensity, physicality and drama.

We'll see if either team responds to the nasty hits laid out during Game 4. 

Buckle up!

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