The Washington Capitals, the Eastern Conference’s top dogs all season in the NHL, are staring down the barrel of elimination. After dropping Game 4 to the Carolina Hurricanes, they’re trailing 3-1 in their second-round playoff series. The offense, usually a well-oiled machine, has sputtered against Carolina’s suffocating defense. Missed shots, a power play that’s hit a brick wall, and a penalty kill from the Hurricanes that’s batting a ridiculous 92.6% have left the Caps frustrated and on edge. Regardless, the team is holding onto hope, especially Tom Wilson.

Carolina’s been a nightmare matchup. Their defense swarms the puck like bees, and every time the Caps clawed within one goal in Game 4, the Hurricanes had an answer. Washington’s power play, usually a strength, has been neutralized by Carolina’s league-best penalty kill. The result? A combined 9-2 drubbing in Games 3 and 4 in Raleigh. Ouch. But if you ask Tom Wilson, there’s still plenty of fight left in this team.

“We’re confident in our group,” Wilson said ahead of Thursday’s do-or-die Game 5 as the Washington Capitals posted it on their ‘X’ handle. “We’ve had resiliency all year. We love each other in here. We just want to go and leave it all out there and start to slowly try and push them out of the series.” That’s the kind of belief that keeps a locker room together when the chips are down. And they’re definitely down. Back home for Game 5, the Caps are shaking things up.

At Wednesday’s practice, coach Spencer Carbery tweaked the forward lines, reuniting Anthony Beauvillier with Dylan Strome and captain Alex Ovechkin (who took a maintenance day but is expected to play). Connor McMichael, a natural center who’s been riding the wing most of the season, is sliding back to the middle on the third line with Andrew Mangiapane and Ryan Leonard. Aliaksei Protas is now with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Wilson, while Lars Eller, who’s been quiet with just one assist in nine playoff games, is out of the third-line spot.

The Caps know coming back from a 3-1 deficit is rare—hockey history isn’t exactly littered with those fairy tales. But they’re sticking to the script: focus on winning one game at home. It sounds simple, right? Score a couple of goals, feed off the home crowd, and force a Game 6 back in Raleigh. Except Carolina’s made both tasks feel mountainous. Washington lost three straight games once this season, so they’ve got a shot to channel that regular-season grit. Will it be enough to keep their special post-season alive? Game 5’s about to tell us.

Tom Wilson was mocked by the Hurricanes in a viral post

Tom Wilson is at it again, stirring the pot and stealing the spotlight with his antics. The Washington Capitals’ forward is a force on the ice, but let’s be real—his real talent lies in getting under his opponents’ skin. In Game 4 of their second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Wilson delivered another viral moment that had fans rolling, even though the Capitals fell 5–2.

Tom Wilson, never one to shy away from a scrap, gets tangled up with Hurricanes veteran Jordan Staal. Punches are thrown, the crowd’s buzzing, and the two eventually skate toward the Capitals’ bench. But Wilson? He’s not done. Oh no. He starts chirping, then dramatically flings his head back like he’s auditioning for a soap opera, mocking Staal’s attempt to draw a penalty. The kicker? He’s laughing the whole time.

Then, in a move no one saw coming, Wilson channels his inner storm. Right there, in front of their bench, he mimics Carolina’s iconic Storm Surge celebration—clapping in an exaggerated circle, poking fun at their post-win tradition. The audacity! Fans lost it, and clips of Wilson’s one-man Surge exploded online. It was a peak Tom Wilson moment: bold, cheeky, and impossible to ignore.

But the Hurricanes? They weren’t about to let Wilson have the last word. Not only did they dominate with a 3–1 series lead, but they also fired back with a savage social media post. Sharing the clip, they roasted him with, “Bro knew the game was over so early he did the Surge in the 2nd period.” Ouch. Talk about a mic drop.

Wilson’s no stranger to viral moments—just two weeks ago, he taunted the Canadiens with a crybaby gesture. Love him or hate him, the guy knows how to keep things entertaining. Too bad for the Capitals, the Hurricanes got the last laugh. Maybe just till game 5? What do you reckon?