Calls Mount Against Tom Wilson and Washington Capitals’ Brutal Hits as Habs Almost Near Playoffs Exit: “Pathetic”

Even with all those juicy W’s stacking high like pancakes at a weekend brunch, Tom Wilson and his rowdy Capitals squad just can’t dodge the spotlight—and not always the good kind, either. Game 5? Oh yeah, it was basically do-or-die drama for the Canadiens, while the Caps sealed the deal with a 4-1 lead like they’ve got playoff destiny in their back pockets. Just a few nights back, Brandon Duhaime pulled off a third-period takeover, slamming two beauties and leading a wild four-goal outburst that flipped Game 4 into a 5-2 fireworks show. All this after Montreal had their own mic-drop moment in Game 3, ripping through the third with three goals to grab a loud 6-3 dub.

This series? Man, it’s been mood swinging harder than a playoff crowd at full volume. But now, the chatter’s getting spicy—calls are flying across social media like pucks on a breakaway, with Tom Wilson and the Caps catching serious heat for some bone-rattling hits that had the Habs faithful fuming. The tension? Oh, it’s thick. Montreal was hanging by a playoff thread, which also just gave away at the seams, and the Caps are out here throwing weight around.

Marc Dumont joined the bandwagon on X and dropped a clip with the one-word caption that said it all: “Greasy.” And in the vid? Oh boy—there’s Tom Wilson, doing Tom Wilson-like things. Dude was hustling, trying to get that puck and maybe sneak in a goal, but then an opponent rolled up behind him like a surprise plot twist. Next thing you know—boom—Tom Wilson throws a hit that had fans spiraling like they just saw their favorite character get written off a show. People were heated.

One fan didn’t hold back at all, straight-up venting with, “Pathetic. The whole culture and cowardice. The generalized blindness to attempts to injure. Doesn’t have to be that way. Need the leaders to rise above.” Yeah… it was giving rage tweet energy. And look, this isn’t just a Caps’ or Tom Wilson thing—the ref radar has been wild lately across the entire league. Like just a few nights ago, B/R Open Ice practically broke X with a clip that had hockey fans everywhere gasping. It showed Dallas Stars’ Roope Hintz going full on ninja mode, straight-up whacking Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon across the neck with his stick. And the refs? They just stood there. No call. No whistle. Nada.

B/R’s caption told the whole messy tale: “Hintz cross-checked MacKinnon and DIDN’T get a penalty,” and fans dropped into the replies like it was open mic night. One of ’em delivered the knockout line of the night: “Cross checked him on his brain stem, yet no call! 😬” And just when you thought it couldn’t get messier, enter Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, who leveled up the chaos. In the Panthers vs. Lightning showdown, where Florida snagged a 4-2 dub and pushed their series lead to 3-1, Ekblad added some full-blown wrestling energy.

Man dropped an actual elbow to Brandon Hagel’s skull dome in the second like it was Monday Night Raw. And guess what? Again, zero call. Crickets. Fans lost their minds faster than a loose puck in a blackout. Even ESPN’s P.K. Subban couldn’t keep a straight face. He posted, “Dude, look where the ref is. The fans are going to want to hang that guy upside down,” and flatly called it out for what it was: “a headshot.” At this point, the games are wild, the hits are savage, and the refs? Yeah, they might wanna start skating in with invisibility cloaks. But this was just the tip of the iceberg for Tom Wilson!

Tom Wilson faces the heat from the fans!

Some fans were pretty vocal about it, with one chiming in, “Personally I find this much more offensive than his hit on Carrier in Game 4.” So, a few days ago, the Canadiens were already in a tough spot, and things only got worse in Game 4. They had to finish the game with one less man on the blue line after defenceman Alexandre Carrier went down with an injury. It was the second time he had to leave the ice, having already been hurt earlier in the first period when his legs collided with Ovechkin. He kept fighting through it, but after Tom Wilson sent him crashing into the boards, things went downhill fast.

That hit set up the game-tying goal for the Capitals, and Carrier’s day was over. The hit didn’t sit well with some fans, with many pointing out that no penalty was called. “No penalty. Wilson knows he can get away with all these antics in the playoffs. No pushback from the Habs.” There’s definitely a sense of frustration in the air, with many feeling like Tom Wilson’s antics were going unchecked, and Montreal wasn’t pushing back enough to stand their ground.

One fan fired back, saying, “I mean, how do u blame Wilson for doing this when he never gets called for it?” And yeah, whether it’s on the ice or even on the bench, Tom Wilson always seems to find himself in the middle of it all. The intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs always brings out the best, but this time, it brought out the chaos. On Friday night, the tension between the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens went way beyond the usual, turning into a full-blown brawl. The Capitals were up 2-0 in Game 3, and as the period ended, Tom Wilson and Montreal’s Josh Anderson couldn’t keep their mouths shut. What started as some jawing between them quickly turned into a bench-clearing scuffle, with linesmen trying (and failing) to separate them.

They ended up tangled on the floor, with the chaos spilling across the bench. The whole scene didn’t sit too well with some fans, either. “One part of the Caps game plan is to hurt & injure Habs players. It’s been pretty obvious from game 1.” It’s clear that emotions were running high, and some felt like the Capitals were playing a rougher game than what was acceptable. Tom Wilson’s name just keeps popping up in these kinds of heated moments, and it looks like Montreal’s been feeling the heat every step of the way.