To say Washington Capitals star Tom Wilson made a massive impact on Game 2 would be an understatement. “We knew we had to give more and be better,” Wilson said about the mindset of the Capitals going into Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. The result? On top of shutting down the Canes’ comeback by adding to the goals of Connor McMichael and John Carlson, Wilson got an assist and two blocks. Or did he?

A reporter mentioned one of Wilson’s two crucial blocks during the post-game interview. The report especially highlighted the block where Wilson “dove head -first” to thwart Canes captain Jordan Stall from getting a shot on goal. “What’s going through your head there as the puck’s bouncing to him, he’s coming in front?” asked the journalist. However, before answering the question, Wilson said something that made the entire room laugh.

“Umm… I only had two of them?” Tom Wilson asked Logan Thompson, who was sitting beside him during the interview. The genuine look of surprise on Wilson’s face made Thompson laugh, which turned out to be contagious. Yet, as the laughs subsided, the 31-year-old took a subtle dig at the analysts keeping track of the stats. “The guys up top need to pay a little more attention,” Wilson said during the post-game interview.

The Capitals’ alternate captain believed that he made a lot more than two blocks with the amount of activity and hits coming from both teams. And as for diving head-first to stop Staal scoring a goal? Wilson believes it’s what he’s supposed to be doing to protect the goal. “A lot of those situations, when I’m coming down, I usually have a defenseman off to the backside,” said the NHL star.

“I’m trying to protect the net front as well. I’m just trying to take away two options with one play. And a lot of the time, just getting your body down on the ice and taking away as much space as possible is the best way,” added Wilson. Tom Wilson wasn’t afraid to use the same trick to disrupt the Canes’ play. In fact, moments after attempting a massive hit on Jordan Martinook, Wilson took a big hit from Jordan Staal, which almost sent him over to the Capitals’ bench in the first period itself—a minor hiccup in what was a commendable display after a disappointing Game 1.

Coach Carbery reflects on Tom Wilson & Co.

The Washington Capitals’ coach’s disappointment was palpable when discussing the Game 1 loss. “They’re the most predictable team in the National Hockey League. Out of all 32 teams, I think you could ask any coach in this league, is you know exactly what you’re going to get,” Carbery said about facing Colorado. “That’s not meant disrespectfully,” added the 43-year-old.

Instead, what Tom Wilson’s coach wanted to say was that they couldn’t beat the Canes despite being familiar with their game. The Caps’ coach explained that he didn’t like anything the Caps were doing in the game. Everything from offense to defense suffered huge lapses. Thankfully, Game 2 did more than just change that; it boosted the team’s confidence.

“It was much better. There’s no doubt about that. We felt that. You guys saw that. Way better,” Carbery reflected on the Capitals’ improvement. From not letting Carolina dictate the pace to a much tighter defense supporting Logan Thompson, Carbery liked what he saw. The coach also expressed that the Washington Capitals still have more improvements to make.

“We’re getting a little more confident. We feel like we can punch back,” added the coach. That’s going to help  Tom Wilson and the rest of the Caps stars as they take the heat to Raleigh for Game 3. With the Caps responding so well to the Canes’ challenge in Game 2, the series just got a lot more interesting. Now, only time will tell which team comes up with the winning strategy for the rest of the series.