It’s generally Tom Wilson laying down the hits on the ice. After all, Wilson is 6’4, 225 lbs and not shy to use every bit of his physicality to win games. Although the Washington Capitals forward also takes his fair share of hits, rarely do we see Wilson getting rag-dolled after a hit. Yet, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal managed to do just that, sending the Caps star off the ice.

With that, something physical took Wilson to the bench for a second time during the playoffs. Remember the brawl with Habs’ star Josh Anderson in Game 3? While this wasn’t a brawl, Wilson was on the receiving end. It all happened in a split second. Seth Jarivs sent Connor McMichael to the ice, and as Wilson picked up the rebound, Staal slammed him, almost sending Wilson over the boards and into the Caps’ bench. Thankfully, no one, including the coaches, made a fuss about it. In fact, Rod Brind’Amour saw nothing wrong with it.

“Two big guys going at it. That’s gonna happen. Just good, clean hockey,” said the Carolina Hurricanes coach in his honest opinion as Emily Kaplan caught up with him during a pause in the action. While Brind’Amour was fine with the hit, the question is, why did the Carolina Hurricanes captain do it? Things may not have been fine and dandy had Staal mistimed the hit.

The Jordan Staal hit came shortly after the 31-year-old tried something similar against his teammate. Wilson attempted to land a thunderous hit on Jordan Martinook as he skated away with the puck. “Tom Wilson went for a BIG hit on Jordan Martinook, but Martinook dodged most of it,” wrote Gino Hard while posting a clip of the hit. While it could’ve caused some serious damage, Martinook sprang back on his feet.

So, was it the Carolina Hurricanes captain’s way of showing that his team won’t back down from the physical element the Capitals bring to every game? After all, neither team has shied away from dishing out the hits. With that being said, it was the Washington Capitals who were in the driver’s seat for most of the game. It was a stark improvement after their disastrous Game 1 performance.

Carolina Hurricanes reflect on Caps hitting back

After their first game against the Canes, Caps coach Spencer Carbery explained his team just didn’t play well. “It wasn’t good, and that’s the bottom line. Our entire game was not good.” Now that’s a bold statement to make after a loss. Yet Carbery made an even bolder claim. “We’ll regroup, and we’ll get ready for game two,” added the Washington Capitals head coach.

While there’s no shortage of people making big statements in the NHL, living up to those words is a different story. Carbery’s did just that in Game 2. The Caps didn’t just tighten up their defense but got better throughout the spectrum. Even the Carolina Hurricanes coach couldn’t help but praise the team during the post-game presser.

“We certainly weren’t great, that’s for sure,” Rod Brind’Amour said, echoing Carbery’s statement after Game 1. “I think you have to give Washington credit. I mean, they played a much better game,” the Canes coach added. Jordan Staal also backed up his coach, agreeing that the team couldn’t replicate the relentless pressure of Game 1.

“We were playing in our end a little too much and just turning over one too many pucks,” said Staal. It almost seemed like a mirror image of the first game in many ways; only the Caps were the ones finding success. Meanwhile, looking on the bright side, the Carolina Hurricanes will host Game 3 at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. Staal is counting on the home advantage. “We’re going to have to take that momentum back and use our fans to do it,” he said during the post-game interview. Will they succeed?