The Washington Capitals have evened the series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a crucial win. Perhaps what looked like fading hopes for the Caps earlier now looks fresh and alive! “Obviously, he set the tone. He’s our leader. He plays smart. He plays physical,” Alex Ovechkin made sure his message was clear while referring to the broad star who just flipped the cards for his team altogether. After all, in playoff hockey, this is what is appreciated when you play big hits and do everything to make a crucial win, right? And, Tom Wilson did exactly the same.

While the energy and vibes were thrilling and electrifying at the Capital One Arena, Washington’s official handle further lit up X with the stat that had everyone talking about Wilson. “Tom Wilson recorded two points (1g, 1a) in the victory and has registered at least one point in each of Washington’s five wins this postseason,” the post read. And hey, it wasn’t any ordinary win to consider; talk about a strong comeback, and the Caps did that, making sure that they didn’t just bounce back but made a statement! A statement that had the captain, Alex Ovechkin, beaming from ear to ear.

Well, Wilson simply backed it all up with a full-throttle performance that checked every box. “It’s not a good feeling when you go home after Game 1 and you weren’t happy with the outcome, you weren’t happy with your effort,” Wilson had said following the defeat in Game 1 but later, he led by example by laying down big hits that blocked shots and tallied two key points in a must-win game. Because he knew what he had to do. “We knew we had to give more and be better,” Wilson further quoted. And he did it, with not just his heart but grit and responsibility that rolled into one perfect standout night.

And the head coach? Well, even he could feel the shift. After all, who other than him would know his team better? “We felt that. You guys saw that. Way better,” Spencer Carbery stated, however also hinting that there’s still room for some improvement. “I still think we have another level to get to. We’re going to need to get to that level, especially going down into their building. I do think that,” he continued. Nevertheless, it has been a great show that not everyone, but especially the captain, Alex Ovechkin couldn’t stop boasting about!

Alex Ovechkin crowned Wilson as the leader

When Alex Ovechkin who broke Wayne Gretzky’s record, calls you a leader, then you know you’re doing something right. Tom Wilson didn’t just score, but earned every bit of that high praise. Because when the Hurricanes cut Washington’s lead to 2-1 with Shane Gostisbehere’s power-play goal late in the third, the pressure was on, but then Wilson, while playing smart and physical, made an assist and a goal, to which Ovechkin reflected and said, “In the playoffs, you have to play like that.” An all-time goal scorer saying that simply defines Wilson as not just a good skater but real playoff material.

Because Wilson backed every word with action and sealed the game with an empty-netter at 59 seconds left! While that put the final seal on a gritty 3-1 win, it was also John Carlson’s power-play goal that he set up earlier with a slick assist in that showed his offensive version. And for the defensive end? Well, talk about throwing the body on the line; Wilson did that with two key shot blocks — one a head-first dive in the first period to keep it 0-0 and another late in the second to protect the narrow lead. Indeed, this is the reason that Alex Ovechkin couldn’t stop but praise the Caps’ backup captain.

While the Game 2 heroics helped the Capitals even the series, the win didn’t just reignite their playoff spark but reminded everyone that the Washington Capitals have more than one leader who can turn the tide when it matters most. Don’t you think?