Max Domi Sends Message to Panthers Following Aleksander Barkov Incident

There was a controversial hit at the end of Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers, where Max Domi boarded Aleksander Barkov which could have led to some serious injury for the Florida captain.

Tensions boiled over, threats were issued, and it makes Game 5 all the most intense which was unthinkable.

But the veteran forward wasn't trying to focus on what happened previously and all sights set towards Wednesday's tilt:

When pressed further about if he thinks the Panthers and Leafs are going to have a lot of emotional baggage from Game 4, and Domi reiterated his beliefs word for word:

It was as tight-lipped as he can be, and while he doesn't want to give his hand away, some of his other teammates have been pretty vocal in at least voicing their displeasure with Florida's antics.

Tensions were certainly high all game, and weren't helped with both Evan Rodrigues' elbow to Mitch Marner's head, or the retaliation he felt courtesy of Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

While Domi was punished for the hit, it seems he couldn't care less. It only amounts to 0.10% of his yearly salary, and barely makes a dent; it's more principal than punishment.

But that also means that Florida should be given equal treatment, and also subsequently punished for not only what they did to Marner, but also John Tavares and Anthony Stolarz; who is still absent though on the mend.

This postseason, Domi has been fairly quiet though has shone bright in a couple of rare instances.

He had a game winning overtime goal against Ottawa in Game 2 of the first round, and had a crucial two points in Toronto's Game 2 win over Florida.

He has four points in 10 games, and while it pretty much replicates his regular season performance (33 points in 74 games), he's felt like an improved player.

Domi needs to improve on one factor though, and that's his discipline. He has 15 PIM already, only one behind fellow third-liner Bobby McMann (who needs to do something soon).

If he can get a handle on that, and perhaps help out in the clutch like he has shown he can this postseason, then it could be enough to get Toronto past the Panthers.

But just like everyone, Domi is all eyes forward on Game 5, and emotionally charged or not, it's going to be the game that could dictate how the rest of the series plays out.