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Capitals lose Tom Wilson to injury in first period

By Ian Oland

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May 3, 2022 9:28 pm

The Washington Capitals got a huge goal from Tom Wilson in the first period to take the lead against the league-best Florida Panthers.

Then they lost him to injury. It’s not completely clear how he got hurt.

Wilson’s early goal came as a Capitals’ power play was ending. Sergei Bobrovsky gave up a huge rebound after a one-timer from Anthony Mantha. Wilson found the puck at his feet and beat Bob with a perfectly placed shot.

It’s worth noting that Wilson drew the power play after taking a high stick from Radko Gudas. It bloodied the bridge of Wilson’s nose.

Wilson’s next shift is where we believe he got hurt. As he was trying to deliver a big hit to MacKenzie Weegar behind the net, Wilson crashed into the boards causing a loud thud.

The right wing left the ice afterward and looked a little bit slow as he returned to the bench.

Wilson was on the ice for three shifts and played only 1:31 in the first period.

Wilson took a swirl around the ice during a break in play in the second period before going back down to the locker room per NBC Sports Washington’s telecast. The Capitals PR has not officially ruled Wilson out of the game yet or tweeted about his injury.

Any injury to Wilson is not good for the “no excuses” Caps. Wilson plays in all situations — including the power play and penalty kill — and is one of the team’s best defensive and physical forwards. Against a high-scoring team like Florida, Wilson being out for any extended period of time is a huge loss.

10:45pm update: Peter Laviolette said postgame Wilson suffered a lower-body injury and that he’s still being evaluated.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB

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