“It’s going to be a fast, physical, competitive series again.” That’s the gospel straight from Tom Wilson as he geared up for Round 2 like a man ready to throw hands and hockey pucks. After steamrolling the Canadiens 4-1 in Game 5, the Caps didn’t just move on, they launched into the second round with that 2018 Cup-run energy sizzling in the air. Sure, Montreal gave a valiant swing, but let’s be honest, Washington had that heavyweight swagger from puck drop. They had been eyeing the Hurricanes like predators circling the next feast, stepping into the second-round spotlight with just enough time to stretch, refuel, and maybe sharpen a few elbows.

And things did get wild on game night. B/R Open Ice was all over it on X. They dropped a video mid-mayhem with the caption, “CHAOS WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT IN REGULATION”, and that was no exaggeration. The clip showed both squads tossing hands like it was Fight Night instead of playoff hockey, in the middle of the scuffle, with 42 seconds left in the third and Carolina on a power play. Elbows flying, tempers flaring, and just pure carnage with the clock barely hanging on. If you blinked, you probably missed about three punches and a chirp.

But Tom Wilson’s moment had come earlier. In another video shared by Open Ice, the chaos hit peak meme-level with the words, “TOM WILSON STOLE SEBASTIAN AHO’S MOUTHGUARD” front and center. Yup, you read that right. Wilson went to grab Aho’s collar, probably thinking of landing a grip-and-rip move… but nope, his hand took a little detour and just yoinked that mouthguard right out as it dangled. Hockey drama? Nah, this was straight-up reality TV in skates.

Wondering what happened during the game? The Canes stole Game 1 in true storybook fashion with Jaccob Slavin playing hero in OT, sniping one from way out at the right point that snuck through the chaos like a sneaky little breeze and slipped under Logan Thompson’s pad. Carolina fans went bonkers. Before that, it was young gun Logan Stankoven who lit the lamp in the third, cashing in on a messy Caps turnover like he was born for clutch moments. Oh, and Frederik Andersen? The guy came back like a ghostbuster, stopping 13 shots after missing time from that mystery knock he took late last series. No rust. Just vibes.

The Caps had their moments, though, Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring in the second with a slick breakaway move after poking the puck free like he owned the ice. Thompson stood tall with 31 saves, doing all he could to keep D.C. in it. But the Canes kept buzzing. There was even a heart-skip moment when Anthony Beauvillier got free in front, but Andersen shut the door. But let’s be real—this isn’t Tom Wilson’s first rodeo when it comes to stirring the pot with some old-school on-ice chaos.

Tom Wilson continues to be in the light for his brawls!

Let’s rewind to that spicy night in April when things got real unhinged between the Habs and Caps. Montreal was already cooking with a 6-3 lead, but the real fireworks lit up right after the second period buzzer. Players were just tryna hit the showers when BOOM, Tom Wilson and Josh Anderson decided it was throwdown o’clock. Gloves dropped, fists flew, and somehow their fight spilled onto the Caps bench like a scene straight out of a hockey soap opera. A poor linesman got dragged into the chaos trying to separate them while they rolled around like it was WWE.

And yup, that little circus cost both guys a cool $5,000 fine for unsportsmanlike chaos. Anderson later told the press it all just… kinda exploded, and that he was really just standing up for his boys. Meanwhile, as those two were wrestling it out, the rest of the ice turned into a mini war zone with players squaring up or chirping like it was personal. Refs were tossing out misconducts like candy, roughing calls flew, Lars Eller and Arber Xhekaj got scooped into the mess too. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery joked that he had to pull a U-turn on the ice because two giants were coming straight at him through the exit. You can’t make this stuff up.

And oh, Tom being Tom, couldn’t resist tossing some salt in the wound. After the chaos cooled off, he mocked the Canadiens bench like they were crying at recess. But none of it slowed Montreal down. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky, aka the Habs’ top-line troublemakers, each tucked one in to seal Game 3 and slice that series score to 2-1. Absolute madness, but hey, that’s NHL playoff for ya.