Max Domi had a clear objective Saturday night. The Maple Leafs center wanted to be a pest and try to rattle the Bruins in Game 1.
Domi wasn’t totally unsuccessful. He suckered Charlie McAvoy into a roughing penalty late in the first period at TD Garden. But for the most part, Domi’s efforts were fruitless and reckless.
The 29-year-old wasted no time trying to get under Boston’s skin, as he chopped at Brad Marchand before the game’s opening faceoff. Domi brought the extra physicality to Marchand again later in the contest, but this time around, the former was whistled for a second-period slashing penalty. The Bruins responded with Jake DeBrusk’s second power-play goal of the game, which effectively put the best-of-seven series opener out of reach.
After Toronto’s 5-1 loss, head coach Sheldon Keefe criticized Domi for his “undisciplined” play.
“I understand what he’s trying to do, but he crossed the line there, and can’t do that,” Keefe told reporters, per The Hockey News. “The others are just, you know, the two high sticks, that’s just carelessness. This time of year, you just have to dial it in. You can’t allow your stick to get up like that.”
The Maple Leafs on Saturday night looked like a team trying to force physicality to keep pace with a bigger and stronger club. The Bruins, meanwhile, appeared to be more than comfortable playing the brand of hockey typically seen on the Stanley Cup playoffs stage.
Toronto now is tasked with trying to punch back when the longtime rivals meet again in Boston on Monday night. But if the Leafs let the Bruins push them around again in Game 2, this set could be over in short order.