The Washington Capitals are in a position that they haven’t had very often over the decade, having a leg up on the Penguins in the postseason, but they just had some of the wind taken out of their sails.
Tom Wilson was suspended for three games after a hit on Zach Aston-Reese that broke the Penguins’ forward’s jaw and gave him a concussion. The hit was a controversial one because a lot of people felt that the initial point of contact was with his shoulder and that Wilson is being punished for hitting hard, where others felt he clearly left his feet and targeted the head.
Oshie seems to feel so strongly about it at least in part because of the Penguins’ players reactions after the game. Kris Letang and Justin Schultz both had strong opinions about the hit and Mike Sullivan’s plea for action from the NHL probably had some impact.
It will be interesting to see how both teams react in tonight’s game – it’s sure to be a chippy affair between two teams who have become very familiar with each other.
