Max Domi’s hit on Isiah George elicits controversial opinions from head coaches. (Image Source: Imagn)

Max Domi’s hit on Isiah George has sparked contrasting opinions among head coaches of the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders.

During the second period of the Leafs-Islanders game on Thursday, Domi executed a reverse hit on George while forechecking in the Islanders’ zone. Following the hit, George fell to the ice and subsequently left for the locker room.

He did not return to complete the game. Islanders coach Patrick Roy expressed his discontent with the officiating, claiming that the referee missed what he considered a ‘clear’ headshot by Max Domi.

“To me, it was clearly a headshot. Obviously we didn’t see the play the same way, but what can you do? They’re the ones who make the calls on the ice,” Roy said.

On the other hand, Leafs coach Craig Berube expressed his support for Max Domi, calling it a clean hit.

Berube said:

“It was a real good play by him. He saw the guy coming. It was a clean reverse hit. Good things happen sometimes after that (5:03).

When asked about the reverse hit, Max Domi said:

“I think you’d have to play to understand that one. So just go watch that. That was pretty clean.”

Moments after the hit, Bobby McMann scored his second of the night, leading the Leafs to a 2-1 win over the Islanders.

Roy confirmed that George was in concussion protocol but did not provide any further details about his health status.

Craig Berube praises Max Domi for his physical play

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube praised Domi for his physical play, noting that when he’s fully engaged, he becomes a challenging opponent for others on the ice.

“When Max is engaged like he was tonight and being physical when the time is right, he is a difficult guy to play against,” the coach said.

Bobby McMann opened the scoring for the Leafs after putting them ahead 1-0 at 10:43 of the second period. With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Scott Mayfield tied it 1-1 for the Islanders.

At 17:01 of the third period, the Leafs capitalized on the man-advantage situation, with McMann scoring a power play goal to seal the win for the Leafs. Joseph Woll was solid between the pipes, making 32 saves on the night.

Max Domi and the Toronto Maple Leafs (24-13-2) return home to face the Boston Bruins (20-16-4) next on Saturday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.