Tom Wilson is a human locomotive and late in the second period, the Tom Train slammed into 26-year-old Jakob Lilja. The hit sent the Swedish forward careening into the end boards and temporarily out of the game.
It was the second gigantic hit Tom has thrown against the Blue Jackets.
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As Lilja put his head down and tried to skate around Christian Djoos on his backhand, Wilson locked in on his target and delivered a clean shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Wilson’s powerful check sent Lilja headfirst into the boards. He held his face as he laid on the ice.
#ALLCAPS Tom Wilson hit on #CBJ Jakob Lilja pic.twitter.com/9MMYTHHkxq
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) December 28, 2019
Lilja was helped off the ice and went to the Blue Jackets locker room. He would return for the third period.
#CBJ Jakob Lilja helped off the ice and goes straight back to the room. Wilson on the bench, no penalty has been assessed.#CBJ captain Nick Foligno and #ALLCAPS Alex Ovechkin having a chance with #NHL referee during the stoppage.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) December 28, 2019
On the very next shift, Nick Foligno fought Jonas Siegenthaler as retribution.
Earlier in the second period, Lilja scored the game’s first goal and the first goal of his career with a beautiful tic-tac-toe play.
Little tic-tac-toe action for career goal No. 1 for Jakob Lilja. pic.twitter.com/ZlXggPXnkZ
— NHL (@NHL) December 28, 2019
Wilson also bonked Alexander Wennberg in the Capitals’ defensive zone, laying his shoulder right into Wennberg’s chest.
After the game, Blue Jackets’ head coach John Tortorella called the hit “dangerous” but not illegal.
#CBJ coach John Tortorella on #ALLCAPS Tom Wilson’s hit on Jakob Lilja: “It’s a dangerous hit because (Lilja’s) a few feet off the boards. We don’t want to see someone go in that way, but I don’t know if you call that a penalty.”
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) December 28, 2019
Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Blue Jackets
Headline photo: NBC Sports Washington
