As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare for Game 5 against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, head coach Craig Berube doesn’t appear to be losing sleep over the end-of-game antics that spilled over in their Game 4 loss, or the shenanigans from Matthew Tkachuk directed at William Nylander.
At the end of the game on Sunday, a video surfaced showing Tkachuk appearing to talk from the Panthers bench towards Nylander as the game wound down, seemingly saying, “I’m going to get you,” in what looked like an effort to rattle the Leafs forward.
Good luck with that.
And if the Panthers forward was attempting to get into the star winger’s head, Berube isn’t convinced it worked. The Leafs coach seems to remain confident in Nylander’s ability to block out the noise, something he’s previously acknowledged, letting the 29-year-old do his thing and “leave him alone” rather than be overbearing. That mindset hasn’t changed.
“He probably didn’t even hear him. He doesn’t hear me,” Berube quipped after Tuesday’s optional skate.
“They’ve been doing it all series. We’ve been doing it all series. That’s playoff hockey,” added teammate Max Domi.
I am not @Jomboy_, but to me, I see Tkachuk saying to Nylander “I’m going to get you.” *wink* “I’m going to get you.”
Thoughts?
— Evan Doerfler (@evandoerfler) May 12, 2025
The interaction capped off a fiery ending to Game 4, which saw Max Domi level Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov with a hit just before the horn. A scrum ensued, tempers flared, and Domi was fined $5,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday for the play.
Despite all the fireworks and potential carryover, Domi and the Leafs insisted on Tuesday that their focus remains squarely on bouncing back in Game 5. From a bigger picture, winning two of the next three games in what has become a best-of-three series.
“Just looking forward to the next game,” said Domi.
‘The Kulikov Hit On Marner Was 10 Times Worse’: Maple Leafs’ Max Domi Fined After Boarding Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov In Game 4Maple 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.
Speaking to the possible pushback from the Panthers, Berube echoed that sentiment when asked how his team will handle spillover from Game 4.
“What are they going to do? I mean, they can go after him, but Max has been around. Yeah, I get it. Some emotions, your emotions get high, and things happen. That’s part of the game. And we all know that he’s going to be fine,” said Berube.
“You can’t worry about if there’s going to be a reaction. You just got to go and play. I don’t know. I don’t think there will be a reaction, but I don’t really have a whole lot to stay on it,” he added.
‘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.
Instead of engaging with the extracurriculars, the bench boss wants his group to keep their cool and stay out of the penalty box, something that was a problem in Game 4. Toronto took five penalties in the loss, including four in the first period alone – in which Florida capitalized on.
There is a fine line between playoff-style hockey and costly penalties – a difference between playing hard and playing undisciplined. Simply put, don’t expect the Leafs to do anything reckless.
“We went to the box five times. It’s lots. We talked about that today. We can’t go to the box that many times. Especially four in the first period, it’s like it takes your momentum away. It takes certain guys out of their rhythm on the bench and overusing other guys. So it’s not a good recipe. You’ve got to be more disciplined,” said Berube.
“Like the stick ones aren’t good. You’ve got to control your stick. We all know that. Those are the ones, in my opinion, that hurt you. I get there’s physical penalties and hits and things like that, and you’re going to go to the box at times, but that’s playing the game hard,” he added.
‘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’s no secret that tensions are rising.
There have been numerous questionable hits and outcomes from both sides through four games. Discipline will be a key factor moving forward, with potentially three more games in this series.
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