Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy ripped Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for what he called “a predatory hit” on defenseman Brandon Carlo early in Friday night’s game in TD Garden.
Carlos went down after Wilson went hands-high to his head in the corner behind the Boston net, smashing the defenseman’s head into the glass with 90 seconds left in the first period. Carlo absorbed a cross-check from Jakub Vrana on his way to the ice and remained there for several minutes.
Cassidy said Carlo left the arena in an ambulance and went to a hospital but could not confirm that it was a concussion.
“Clearly looked to me like he got him right in the head. A defenseless player, a predatory hit from a player that’s done that before,” Cassidy said of Wilson after Boston’s 5-1 win. “I don’t understand why there wasn’t a penalty called on the ice. They huddled up, but I did not get an explanation why.”
The music went silent in the empty arena after Carlo was hurt, and the Bruins’ bench could be heard cussing out Wilson. When Carlo finally got to his skates, the only noise was his teammates banging their sticks against the boards.
No penalty was called.
When the teams came out for the second period, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron skated over to Wilson and spoke to him as he stretched out. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin skated by to monitor the situation, as did an official.
Players began shoving each other after the next whistle, and Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon was sent off for roughing in a transparent make-up call. With about six minutes gone in the period, Boston’s Jarred Tinordi and Wilson dropped their gloves.
“Sometimes when that stuff happens and there’s no call, the players kind of settle it on the ice in their own way, and we felt that we pushed back and did what we could do and won the hockey game, and tried to let that particular player know that that was unnecessary.”
Cassidy added: “I assume it will get looked at by the National Hockey League.”