Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice addressed Max Domi’s hit on Aleksander Barkov. The hit happened in the final seconds of the third period. Domi hit Barkov from behind and knocked him into the boards.
Speaking to the reporters after Game 4 on Sunday night, Maurice mentioned that the League will look at Max Domi's hit.
"I think the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point in the game. That is their job." Maurice said, via mapleleafshotstove.com.
The hit led to a scrum between players from both teams. The game had already ended when the fight broke out. Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad were given game misconducts for fighting, and Domi received a five-minute major.
Paul Maurice also gave an update on Barkov’s condition.
“Yeah, we think he will be alright,” he said.
Barkov got up on his own and stayed on ice for the entirety of the scrum. The NHL may review the hit to decide if Domi should face further punishment.
The Florida Panthers won Game 4 by a score of 2-0, with goals from Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett. Last season's Stanley Cup-winning star goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, made 23 saves for the shutout.
Paul Maurice talked about Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky
Paul Maurice also talked about Sergei Bobrovsky’s steady presence for the Florida Panthers. He feels they take Bobrovsky for granted sometimes, which is normal with elite goalies.
"I think we just totally take him for granted, which is what happens to all elite goaltenders," Maurice said. "I can speak for myself. If he has a game where you don’t think it is Sergei Bobrovsky-like, I spend no time wondering if the next one is going to be like that. He is his own little leadership committee there."
Maurice also mentioned he doesn’t have to think about goaltending, which helps him stay focused. He joked that if he did worry about it, he might just make things worse.
"I don’t spend any time thinking about goaltending, thank God. I will just screw it up." Maurice said.
Currently, the round 2 series is tied at 2-2. Game 5 will be played in Toronto on Wednesday night.
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