Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi was in disbelief when his slash on Matthew Tkachuk was called midway through the second period of their 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.
It was 3-0 Florida when Domi tried to spark a fight with Tkachuk, who didn’t want any part of it. Domi forward lined up alongside Tkachuk on a neutral zone faceoff, jawing at the unfazed 27-year-old.
The Toronto forward attempted to lure Tkachuk in, but in the end, Tkachuk baited Domi into taking an undisciplined slashing penalty. And it’s not the first time this has occurred with Domi, either.
During Game 4 of Toronto’s first-round series against the Ottawa Senators, the 30-year-old received a roughing penalty after hitting Shane Pinto in the head with his stick. Just over a minute later, Ottawa scored the opening goal of the game, which they ended up winning 4-3 in overtime.
Although the Maple Leafs won the series, it wasn’t the smartest penalty to take at the beginning of a crucial Game 4, where Toronto was looking to sweep Ottawa.
In the first period of Game 4 against Florida, Domi clipped Tkachuk with a high stick, and although the Panthers didn’t score on the power play, the penalties continued for Toronto. Florida had four opportunities on the man advantage during the opening frame of that game, with Carter Verhaeghe scoring on the last chance.
The Maple Leafs were shut out in that game, 2-0.
Time and time again, Domi’s undisciplined penalties lead to his team needing to kill them off. And you have to ask the question of how this keeps occurring after consistent discussions with head coach Craig Berube.
“That’s definitely an issue that we got to talk about and discuss and figure out what we’re going to do there,” Berube said on Wednesday night, following Domi’s game-high 18 penalty minutes.
Among players who’ve played six or more games in the NHL playoffs, Domi has the most penalty minutes with 33 in 11 games, albeit it includes two roughing penalties and a game misconduct in the aftermath of Toronto’s Game 5 loss.
These are penalties that Domi just cannot take, especially when your team is attempting to stage a comeback in a vital game.
These are penalties Domi shouldn’t even take in the regular season.
Whether anything changes remains to be seen. As several Maple Leafs noted, though, after being blown out at home in a second-round playoff game, they have to be better, Domi included.
Stay updated with the most interesting Maple Leafs stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
Read the full article here
