The Washington Capitals escaped Game One in Florida with a 4-2 victory but the team took its licks in the process. Tom Wilson was dinged up early in the game and only skated 1:31 of ice time. John Carlson also left the game late in the third.
Carlson was sent wearily to the locker room due to a late, very high hit from the Panthers’ Sam Bennett. The play occurred with just 30 seconds left in the game.
👀😡#AllCaps pic.twitter.com/rbPH56xsUD
— Marcus Boutilier (@SportMajor) May 4, 2022
The hit came after Carlson cleared the puck down the ice as the Capitals protected a 4-2 lead. After releasing the puck, the veteran defenseman was engaged by Bennett who appears to purposefully extend upwards to make contact. Carlson’s head snapped back after the contact and could be seen making his way gingerly to the bench. According to the ESPN+ broadcast, he went straight to the locker room.
Luckily, the Capitals’ alternate captain appears to have escaped injury. Carlson was present during the team’s postgame victory ceremony where he was handed the Viking shield from Vitek Vanecek for being the defensive player of the game.
Bennett has a history of playing on the edge. He was suspended for three games earlier this season for a headshot on Montreal’s Cedric Paquette.
Video: Bennett hit on Paquette. pic.twitter.com/os5mGdVbJQ
— Everything Hockey (@EHClothing) January 3, 2022
He also sat for one playoff game in 2021 for this brutal board on the Lightning’s Blake Coleman. A frustrated and unnecessary act in the same ilk as his targeting of Carlson.
Awful hit by Bennett on Coleman that is worthy of a major penalty. Charging + boarding. Only gets two minutes.. pic.twitter.com/Arg2Qz6gRx
— NHL Review (@nhl_review) May 17, 2021
Screenshot via Bally Sports Florida
