NHL Player Safety Reachers Verdict on Max Domi's Hit on Barkov

Tensions boiled over in Game 4 between Toronto and Florida, with both sides finding new ways to inflict damage both physically and mentally.

Florida came out with the win after all was done, but it was Max Domi's end game hit on Aleksander Barkov that got people talking.

The NHL was certainly going to review the hit after the Leafs forward clearly ended up shoving Barkov numbers first into the boards, and now have announced some additional punishment for Domi.

The NHL fined the Leafs forward $5,000 for his actions, which is a small amount given his large contract, but is the maximum amount under the CBA.

Fine amounts are a different topic of discussion, but it does show that Toronto gets a bit more punishment than their contemporaries at least when it comes to getting away with things.

There was no review or punishment handed out for either Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Dimitry Kulikov, both who ended up throwing some vicious hits during the course of the game.

It was surprisingly the first punishment handed out to any Maple Leafs player or their opponents since the postseason began. The Ottawa series had multiple occasions of Toronto getting targeted but no calls were made.

While it's only 0.10% of Domi's AAV for this season, the fact he was punished does give some credence to the fact that Florida is being given more to work with in this series. Mitch Marner was knocked loopy and there wasn't as much as a peep.

Lest we forget that Sam Bennett elbowed Anthony Stolarz so badly it gave him a concussion and sent him to the hospital; but the NHL pleaded ignorant and figured it was just going to happen to Stolarz anyways.

But for now, the fact remains that Domi is a little lighter in the wallet, but he still gets to play; but if Game 4 was any indicator of how things are going to turn out?

Expect a lot more fireworks and some potential extra punishment to be doled out in the coming days.