The Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild were set up for a thrilling finish until officials whistled Tom Wilson for a controversial high-sticking call on Zach Bogosian with 3:50 remaining in the third period. The Wild were already ahead 2-1 when Wilson was sent to the box.
As Bogosian tried to clear the puck up the boards, Wilson pressured him, causing the Wild defenseman to muff his feed up the ice. As he did, the two players’ sticks clanged together, sending Wilson’s into the air and appearing to ever-so-slightly boop Bogosian in the helmet. The Wild blueliner then proceeded to throw his head back, embellishing to try and draw a penalty.
The ploy worked as referee Riley Brace, an NHL official for the past two and a half years, threw up his arm to call a penalty.
“He sold that big time,” Monumental Sports Network’s Craig Laughlin said as he watched a replay.
“That hardly taps the helmet there. He’s just swinging by him. I mean, that to me, (is) a cheapie!”
Wilson was befuddled by the call, too, and he grew even more agitated when Justin Sourdif was announced as the penalized player.
“It kind of confused me too, because I was on the other side of the ice,” Sourdif said. “So I’m like, ‘If you don’t even know who it is, how are you making the call when there’s like four sticks in the air?'”
Eventually, the officials gathered, and Sourdif was dismissed from the box in favor of Wilson, who had skated back to the bench. The Capitals alternate captain pushed the sin bin’s door closed with authority.
“It sucked with three minutes left in the game, but you know, that’s hockey,” Sourdif said.
Wilson was let loose not long after.
One minute and 27 seconds into the Wild power play and after a faceoff win, Maxim Shabanov snapped a shot past Logan Thompson from the top of the circles, putting the Wild up 3-1 with 2:23 remaining and deflating the Capitals’ hopes of a comeback.
The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov added an empty-netter, and Wilson found that the correct time to settle the score. Wilson wound up cross-checking Joel Eriksson Ek before tackling Bogosian to the ice. As the two were separated, Wilson threw his helmet down the ice before skating over to the Wild bench, yelling and throwing his arms up. He was then ushered down the tunnel to the locker room.
“I mean, I saw him going after Eki,” Bogsian said. “I don’t know, it was just like two competitive guys, probably just meeting in the middle. I really respect the way Tom plays and just how competitive he is. So, obviously, he was mad, and I was just trying to get in there for my teammate.”
Wilson earned a two-minute minor for cross-checking and a 10-minute misconduct on the play, finishing the period with 14 PIMs — a new high for a single game this season. The Wild would go on to win 5-1, tacking on another power-play goal before the final buzzer sounded.
“I don’t love — three high-sticking penalties,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said postgame. “The last one, I don’t know. I didn’t love that call, just based on the replay when I saw. A young ref, he’s just making his way in the league, so it’s a tough call, but in that situation, in that scenario, don’t love that.”
When asked if he was given an explanation, Carbery said, “No, it was just — Riley called it a two-minute minor. But if you look at the replay, these are veteran guys. It’s a veteran team, so Bogosian embellishes it. Just in those moments — it’s hard. You know, those are split second — it doesn’t even touch. It’s like this.” Carbery gestured a stick passing the face. “His stick doesn’t even touch his face. Yeah, that’s all. Leave it at that.”
The late calls came after no penalties were whistled in the two periods prior, as the two aggressive teams showcased their high-skill levels and battled hard for two points.
“All game there’s not really calls, right?” Jordan Kyrou said. “It’s been five-on-five and then… a couple calls there, and they end up scoring on the power play.”
“It sucks, obviously,” Sourdif said. “We’re trying to push, trying to tie the game up there, and it’s one of those ones where it’s super incidental. I don’t know, obviously, with the rules, even if it grazes a guy’s helmet, maybe you’ve got to call it. But it’s obviously tough because we’re just out there playing super hard, trying to tie the game up, and there’s kind of a little play where four guys are coming together, and that happens. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the game.”
