TORONTO — If you want to understand how Max Domi feels about scoring a game-winning playoff overtime goal in the Battle of Ontario and giving his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs their first 2-0 series lead since his dad played, don’t ask him.
Follow him.
For Domi — who is all business and team-focused hockey clichés in his interviews at this time of year — is much more likely to fans a better peek into his birthright passion, his flesh-and-blood connection to this franchise, through an Instagram post.
Domi uploaded a goosebump-inducing hype video to social media shortly before the puck dropped and he faced the Ottawa Senators in an elimination series versus the Ottawa Senators with Tie’s name on his back.
The montage blends past with present, cocked-back knuckles with unleashed wrist shots. Not unlike Domi at his best. Pick one.
Max captioned the clip simply: This is why we play.
And so, in the minutes after Tie’s son untied Game 2, sniping the 3-2, clock-freezing winner in the same barn the previous four Battle of Ontario survivors called home, he downplays any sentimental value of the moment.
His moment.
Which was deafening and punctuated by a guttural scream of joy on one bent knee and a swarm of blue hugs.
Domi puts on a serious face and says something about getting a big team win and prepping for Game 3.
But his teammates will recognize that it runs deeper, feels powerful.
“Jubilation,” says goalie Anthony Stolarz, watching a light blare red 200 feet due north. “The building erupts.
“You couldn’t be happier for him. He’s worked his ass off all year. For us, he’s a great two-way player. He’s a helluva teammate in the room. And to see someone like that get rewarded, hopefully it’s the start of something big for him this playoffs.”
Teammate Morgan Rielly calls it a “privilege” to play alongside a guy like Domi.
The streaky forward didn’t exactly thrive on John Tavares’s second line in Game 1 and was bumped to third-line duty early in the series. He responded by pouring in extra skills work at practice, keeping his head down and moving his feet.
“That’s why this sport’s special. You get to go into battle together and learn a lot about one another,” Rielly says.
“For him to have that moment in overtime here at home is extremely special for all of us. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. But it’s a big moment for our team, a big moment in this series. And, you know, he’ll downplay it in terms of what he was able to do for us tonight, but ultimately, it’s a huge play.”
Particularly huge in the context of a game that was trending hard in favour of the plucky visiting team, who rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the contest on their first shot of the third period and were the toast of the charts-and-graphs set heading into the fourth period.
The Leafs essentially stopping skating in the second period, turning patience into passivity and the Senators pressed for a split on the road.
Domi’s linemate, Nick Robertson, took a costly O-zone high-sticking penalty that allowed a dormant Brady Tkachuk to hit the scoresheet. Suddenly, the Sens had life.
Hemmed in for the bulk of the second and third periods, the Leafs looked like a team clinging for a 2-1 win. They out-shot-blocked Ottawa to the tune of 32-6. Hanging by a thread.
“It is frustrating,” coach Craig Berube said. “As a coach, we’re asking our players to be composed. I gotta be composed. Talk to them about things, try to motivate them a little bit on the bench, and get them going again. Get them skating again.”
The tenor in the Toronto dressing room during the third intermission, after they had blown a 2-0 lead was… “just calm,” Tavares says.
“Excited for the opportunity, knowing it’s still a great opportunity to win a hockey game. I think it’s a lot of the attitude that the group’s developed throughout the year and becomes very critical at this time of the season.”
Breaking up a Sens attack, defenceman Simon Benoit went full Lafleur, his flowing French-Canadian locks flowing as he carried through the natural zone and left a drop pass to Domi — who cut sharply into middle ice through traffic before ripping one home.
“I always say, when Max skates and attacks, he’s on his game,” Berube says.
Perhaps Senators coach Travis Green’s bunch deserved a better fate, outshooting the Leafs 28-21. And perhaps Green, who bonded with Tie and wore the Leaf in some of those original provincial battles, foresaw a moment like this for Max.
“Energetic guy,” Green said, thinking back to Tie’s son hanging around the grown-up Leafs a dozen springs ago. “You could tell he was going to be a good hockey player from a young age, and obviously I know his dad well.
“I always like seeing him have success, but obviously not tonight.”
So, what does that goal mean to Domi?
“I think a whole lot,” Tavares says. “He loves playing here. Came in really excited to join the team last year. Really wanted to come back (as a free agent) and found a way to make that work. We were all thrilled.
“Not just his skill set, but the edge that he plays with, the passion he has for the game, and his determination to get better and make an impact and wanting to do something special here.
“Max has got a great history here with his dad and whatnot. So, great moment for him.”
A great moment, indeed. Can you savour it, Max? Soak in the throwback tingles?
“That stuff’s behind us now,” Domi said. “I was excited to be a part of it as a kid. But turn the page and move on.”
Stay tuned. Maybe we’ll get a dope IG edit of this goal one day.
Fox’s Fast Five
• With Stolarz limiting the Senators to two goals per game and extending his career-best win streak to 10, we understand why Ridly Greig, Brady Tkachuk and the rest would try to get in his kitchen
But a six-foot-six, 243-pound monster in pads has no issue fighting his own battles.
“I’ve known Stollie for a long time, and I’ve seen that in junior too,” Marner says. “I mean, he’s a big man. He sticks up for himself. Good for him.”
• From worst to first.
The Maple Leafs’ 1-for-21 power-play was the worst of the 2024 postseason.
One year later, it’s scorching hot, converting on four of its first seven opportunities.
And with an attack mentality. Each of Toronto’s power-play strikes occurred 18 seconds or less into the man-advantage, for a total of just 38 seconds of elapsed time.
• Bobby McMann scored 20 goals this season, none of them in his past 13 games.
A top-six candidate heading into the playoffs, the power forward has been passed over by Domi and now Holmberg. The coach is challenging McMann again.
“He’s getting his attempts at the net,” Berube says. “There are times where I’m not sure the attempt is worth it. I’d like to see him delay a little bit or hang on the puck a little bit more, and he needs to get on the inside. That’s going to be key for us.
“He could be an effective player with his speed, body, strength, size. We need him to get on the forecheck. We need him to get to the inside… He can provide more. He can do more.”
• Here’s Claude Giroux on Scotiabank Arena’s persistent “Brady sucks!” chants:
“In my eyes, it’s a compliment for Brady. They don’t do that if he actually sucks. It’s a compliment. I got booed in Pittsburgh (when I played for Philadelphia). And, I’ll be honest, it’s the best games to play.”
• How Auston Matthews treats his enemies’ hockey sticks…
How Matthews treats his friends’ hockey sticks…
Yes, Matthews might just be the best stick-flip passer the sport has ever seen:
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