- Tom Wilson was ejected for boarding Sandis Vilmanis in the first period against the Panthers
- He drew a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and Vilmanis did not return
- Read below for the hit video and the discipline question that follows
Tom Wilson is done early in Washington.
The Capitals forward was ejected Saturday against the Panthers after boarding Sandis Vilmanis in the first period. Wilson got a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and the call stood after a review.
Watch the hit on Vilmanis:
Vilmanis was trying to move the puck out of the Florida zone when Wilson came in from the side and drove the 22-year-old into the sideboards from behind. Vilmanis went down to the Panthers’ dressing room, and Florida announced he would not return.
Brady Tkachuk made Washington pay on the ensuing power play for his 10th goal of the season. Check out the goal:
The bigger question is what the league does next. There was no word yet on a hearing from the Department of Player Safety, but Wilson has a long history there. His longest suspension was 14 games in 2018, cut down from 20 on appeal, for an illegal check to the head of Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist.
Wilson was also in the box last Sunday, when he took a 10-minute misconduct in a loss to the Wild after a high-sticking call on Zach Bogosian. We broke down that one in our Tom Wilson misconduct story.
Wilson came into Saturday with two goals and five points in 14 games. Vilmanis had three goals and seven points in 15 games before the hit ended his afternoon.
