Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson missed his first game of the 2023-24 season on Thursday night due to the broken nose he suffered last weekend against the Los Angeles Kings. The 29-year-old winger had practiced the day prior to the Capitals’ matchup with the Seattle Kraken but had to miss out due to “facial discomfort.”
Wilson was back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday and met with the media after the skate. He provided a positive update on his status for the team’s game against the New York Rangers on Saturday.
“Right now I feel really good,” Wilson said. “We have to see, after the adrenaline from being out at practice and skating around [wears off], how I feel a little bit later today. I feel pretty good so hopefully I’ll be ready to rock tomorrow.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery echoed some of those same thoughts in his own media availability, saying that he was “optimistic” Wilson would dress against New York. Carbery was very vocal about the Capitals missing Wilson after Thursday’s loss to the Kraken.
The rookie bench boss felt his team went down quietly instead of mounting any sort of fight–something Wilson’s presence would have likely helped to provide. The Capitals offered just one five-on-five shot on goal in the third period despite trailing the full 20 minutes.
“Just life energy–-we needed a lot more of that in the third period,” Carbery said. “Even if you’re not going to win that game, even if we’re not going to score a goal in that situation, you need life. You need guys that are uncomfortable with the situation. Go stop at the goaltender. Do something to have some type of impact on the game instead of just going quietly into the night. And that’s what I thought just down the line, guys just went quietly, which is disappointing.”
Wilson also commented on his absence, lamenting that he couldn’t aid his teammates in defeat.
“Tough couple days,” he said. “I woke up yesterday just not feeling very well, feeling better today. I think yesterday I just had to take a step back and reevaluate. It was a long couple of days with a lot of trauma. Tough not being out there but I’ve just gotta make sure I do the right things.”
The trauma that Wilson refers to is not only the stiff shot to the schnoz that he took from Kings forward Alex Laferriere but also the entire recovery process. As Wilson mentioned in his speech accepting his Washingtonian of the Year honor on Wednesday, he had to get his nose reset by Dr. Mike Reilly at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
“I’ve broken my nose a few times for sure but this one was the worst by far,” Wilson said. “You don’t forget that feeling, getting your nose put back in place. Especially when you don’t have the adrenaline of the game. When you come out after the game, you’re all revved up and you don’t feel much. When you have to follow up the next day and get it set, it’s not fun.
“[Reilly] was a pro’s pro. He did a few different things in there to get me back to hopefully straight-ish. He did a great job and we’re super lucky to have great doctors and stuff to look after us when stuff like that happens. You go out and play a pretty savage sport and the doctors are there to help you out.”
When Wilson returns, he will do so wearing a full bubble face shield for an undetermined amount of time. He has been sporting the shield at recent practices.
“It’s a little bit different,” Wilson said Friday. “I’m breathing better today just in general. Bubble or not, it’s nice to breathe normally. Everything is coming back. The bubble will be a bit of an adjustment but it is what it is.”
Wilson won’t have a ton of more time for that adjustment though as the Capitals have a home-and-home back-to-back against the Rangers this weekend. They’ll then play three more times next week, including a trip to St. Louis in just over a week’s time.
Getting Wilson back in the lineup will be important for a team that has had a ton of trouble scoring goals this season. He ranks tied for second on the team in total goals with 11.
Screenshot via @Capitals/X
