Tom Wilson delivered a brutal hit on Zach Aston-Reese in Tuesday’s Game 3 between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. Wilson appeared to initiate contact from shoulder-to-shoulder. Aston-Reese suffered a broken jaw and concussion on the hit. And now Wilson is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Wednesday.
With all that said, there was no penalty assessed on the play. In large due to it looking like a clean hit minus the end result of Aston-Reese’s injuries. Paul Devorski, NHL on-site supervisor explained why no penalty was called on Wilson, per Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.
Also, relevant to the Wilson hit, this is what the officials saw last night: pic.twitter.com/ysBP9K7r9V
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) May 2, 2018
Key takeaway from the explanation is where referees came to the conclusion of “we’ve got a good, clean check here.”
With what the officials saw last night, one would think it would help Wilson’s case with the league in avoiding a suspension. Time will tell as a ruling should be revealed before Thursday’s Game 4 in Pittsburgh. Washington leads the series 2-1.
