The Florida Panthers have been riding a heater lately, and yeah, that 2-0 shutout against the Leafs in Game 4, with Sergei Bobrovsky casually stacking 23 saves like it was nothing, was sweet. But the real scene-stealer? That wild final-seconds chaos when captain Aleksander Barkov got absolutely rocked by Max Domi. We’re talking straight-up blindsided. Domi came in hot, hit Barkov from behind, and sent him crashing headfirst into the boards. Penalty? Oh yeah, Domi got dinged for boarding. And naturally, that hit cranked up the heat, sparking a few scrums as both squads threw down some extra spicy postseason energy.

Even though Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov was “all right” and expected to bounce back, you could tell there was a storm brewing under those calm words. Maurice added, “I think that the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point in the game. That’s their job.” And yep, he’s leaving it in the NHL’s hands, but fans? Teammates? They’re still simmering. And now, the Florida Panthers’ locker room isn’t holding back their thoughts too!

In a press moment shared by the Florida Panthers, one journalist straight-up tossed a double-decker question at Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola, asking them what their thoughts were on the hit on Barkov and the scrum at the end of the game. Lundell’s response? Blunt and honest.

With a chill but fire-in-his-veins kind of vibe, Lundell kept said, “I just think you know it’s been a physical series you know we hit they hit it’s part of the game part of playoffs so you gotta you know be aware of all times on the ice but at the same time you know it’s awesome it’s great to play playoff hockey and you know whenever it’s at the biggest you know that’s where we like to play you know when it really matters the games.” Translation? This ain’t no tea party, it’s playoff warfare, and the Florida Panthers aren’t here to cry about it. And let’s be honest. Why would they? Not too long ago, in Game 4 of the first-round series, Lundell’s press conference partner Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000 for boarding the Lightning’s Zemgus Girgensons.

And welp, that nasty hit from Max Domi? Yeah, it didn’t just vanish into the postgame chaos either. Even if the clock ran out, the consequences sure didn’t. Since there was no time left for him to warm that penalty box seat, the NHL stepped in with the ol’ wallet tap. “Toronto’s Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Florida’s Aleksander Barkov,” the official NHL Player Safety crew dropped on X, and that was that, at least officially. But let’s be real, fans weren’t exactly lighting celebratory candles over that decision.

Was the fine enough for the hit against Florida Panthers’ star?

Florida Panthers fans? Oh, they were heated. Watching Max Domi skate off with just a $5K slap on the wrist had ‘em ready to storm the rulebook. I mean, boarding isn’t some gentle love tap. It can go full wrecking ball depending on how hard the hit lands, and this one? Barkov didn’t even see it coming. Dude was just trying to clear the puck, minding his captain business, when Domi zoomed in like a guided missile and sent him face-first into the boards. So yeah, to Panthers fans? That fine felt more like a ‘get outta jail free’ card, and they weren’t buying it.

Cue the comment section chaos the second NHL Player Safety dropped that update. It was wild. “NO SUSPENSION????? OMG! WHAT???” one fan practically screamed into the void. Another added with a tired sigh, “This is sad… If this was the Panthers, we would’ve been suspended.” And honestly? They might have a point. The outrage wasn’t just bark, it came with receipts. Fans brought up Aaron Ekblad’s suspension. The guy barely returned from a 20-game suspension and still got hit with two more for elbowing in round one.

Meanwhile, Domi gets the equivalent of a very expensive speeding ticket and walks away like nothing happened? Yeah, Panthers Nation wasn’t exactly clapping for that decision. To them, the math just wasn’t mathing. The whole thing had a big ol’ ‘if the jersey was different, the punishment would be too’ energy, and you can bet they’re keeping score.