The NHL playoffs are supposed to be about grit, drama, and the pursuit of the Stanley Cup — but this year, all anyone can talk about is what the heck is going on with NHL discipline?
Everyone’s asking the same question:
How did Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett get away with punching Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz in the head — no penalty, no fine, no suspension — while Max Domi of the Leafs was slapped with a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension for a gentle shove on Aleksander Barkov?
Let’s be clear: Bennett’s hit wasn’t just a bump. It was a full-on jab to the goalie’s mask with the puck nowhere near the crease. Fans and analysts alike are calling it “one of the dirtiest non-calls of the playoffs.” Yet somehow… nothing.
Meanwhile, Domi — a player already under the microscope — was immediately punished for what many are calling a “standard playoff scrum.”
Cue the outrage.
Social media erupted with Leafs fans, Canadian media, and even neutral observers screaming bias, double standards, and yes — even corruption. Accusations of the NHL “protecting American teams” or being “bribed by Florida’s ownership” are flying faster than a slapshot in overtime.
So… what does the NHL say?
According to a vague league statement released late Friday night:
> “After thorough review, the Department of Player Safety determined that no supplemental discipline was warranted for the incident involving Sam Bennett. The contact was deemed incidental within the flow of the game.”
Wait, what?
Incidental?
A punch to the head of a goalie — is now “incidental”?
Leafs head coach Craig Berube refused to comment directly on the incident but said, “I’ll let the fans decide what they saw.” Captain John Tavares was more blunt: “That kind of stuff can’t happen, and when it does, there needs to be accountability.”
Canadian fans are done being polite.
Many believe this is yet another example of the NHL’s bias against Canadian teams, especially Toronto, which hasn’t lifted the Cup since 1967. The calls, the suspensions, the missed penalties — “it’s a pattern,” say frustrated fans.
Some have even taken to Reddit and Twitter to call for an independent review of the Department of Player Safety, claiming George Parros and his team have lost all credibility.
Conspiracy or incompetence?
The answer may depend on who you root for — but the outrage is real, and the NHL has a serious optics problem on its hands.
One thing’s for sure: if this happened to a goalie like Andrei Vasilevskiy or Igor Shesterkin, would the NHL still call it “incidental