Tom Wilson didn’t last long in Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers.
Wilson was ejected 8:55 into the first period after boarding Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis from behind.
Tom Wilson boards Sandis Vilmanis
The play occurred as the Panthers tried to work the puck out of the zone. Vilmanis, set up at the half wall, pivoted to send a backhanded pass up the ice. As he did, Wilson hit him directly in the numbers, and his head slammed into the rim around the boards.
Vilmanis stayed down for several minutes before being helped off the ice.
Officials initially whistled a five-minute major on Wilson to review video replays. Upon a quick look at an iPad, the referees then confirmed the call on the ice and ejected Wilson from the game.
As Wilson was ushered off the ice, he began yelling at the Panthers bench, including the team’s enforcer Bokondji Imama.
The Panthers announced in the second period that Vilmanis would not return.
The ejection for an illegal body check marks Wilson’s first since November 30, 2018, when he received a match penalty for a hit on New Jersey Devils forward Brett Seney. The NHL ultimately declined to suspend him for that incident.
Wilson has been suspended six times and fined four times during his NHL career. His most recent suspension came in March 2024, when he received a six-game ban for high-sticking Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor. His last suspension for an illegal body check came in March 2021, when he was banned seven games for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (that hit did not result in a penalty during the actual game, though).
While NHL Player Safety will automatically review this play, Wilson could escape supplemental discipline as Vilmanis turned late while the Capitals power forward bore down on him. The punishment in the game fits the crime, but Wilson’s long history with DoPS makes things murkier.
