By Canadian Press

Wilson’s big hit sparks Capitals in 5-2 win, pushes Canadiens to brink of elimination

Apr 28, 2025 | 7:51 AM

MONTREAL — Tom Wilson knows he needed to block out the noise in Game 3 and just play.

“I should probably just shut up sometimes,” the hulking Washington Capitals winger said Sunday morning.

A few hours later, his performance on the ice did the talking.

Wilson’s massive hit on Montreal Canadiens defenceman Alexandre Carrier led to a tying goal and sparked the Capitals to a 5-2 victory in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series.

“He’s the type of guy that literally can change momentum in games in the most ways, probably, of anyone in the league,” teammate John Carlson said.

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Andrew Mangiapane scored the go-ahead goal with 3:37 remaining in the third period to give the Capitals a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Brandon Duhaime tied the game 2-2 at 6:39 with a fluky goal generated by Wilson’s crushing neutral-zone check on Carrier, who exited the game.

Wilson, a 33-goal scorer who also strikes fear into opponents with his six-foot-four, 225-pound frame, is often referred to as a “unicorn” in today’s NHL.

“Completely changed the momentum in the game,” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “Everybody in here knows how impactful he is, how unique he is.

“You saw firsthand how significant he can play a role in a team coming back and winning a hockey game in the most important time of the year.”

Duhaime scored twice, including an empty-net goal, while Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist for Washington, which won Games 1 and 2 at home. Wilson added a second empty-netter to ice the game.

Logan Thompson made 16 saves after exiting with an injury late in Game 3 on Friday.

The Capitals lost 6-3 to the Canadiens that night in a hectic outing — the first playoff game before a full Bell Centre since 2017 — that featured both starting goalies sustaining injuries.

A bench brawl between Wilson and Montreal forward Josh Anderson stole the spotlight. Both players received 10-minute misconducts, and Wilson went viral for making a crybaby gesture toward the Canadiens, leading to his “shut up” comment.

“I can’t be sitting in the box for 14 minutes,” said Wilson. “I want to be on the ice and control my emotions, and it’s a tough building to do that in. It’s one of the best buildings in the NHL for a reason. It’s loud. The fans are passionate.”

Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky replied for Montreal, while Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov produced two assists apiece.

Jakub Dobes stopped 21 shots in his first career playoff start. The 23-year-old from Czechia replaced injured starter Sam Montembeault midway through the second period in Game 3.

The Canadiens did not have an update on Carrier post-game. The shutdown defenceman slowly skated toward the bench while the Capitals pounced on an odd-man rush following Wilson’s hit.

“I don’t really know the rules, so I felt like it should have been a whistle,” Dobes said of the play. “It was kind of a scary hit, but I guess the rules don’t apply for everyone in this league. I have no idea.”

Montreal won the special teams battle, going 2-for-4 on the power play while killing off five penalties — including a 44-second 5-on-3 in the second period off two debatable calls.

Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis tried to hold his tongue in his post-game press conference, but ultimately called out the officiating.

“It’s difficult to explain how I really feel,” he said, before later adding, “I’ll be careful with my words, but it’s hard to watch some of these calls. To me tonight, like one of the mandates was about embellishing tonight.”

Dobes stretched out for a spectacular blocker save on Carlson to help kill Washington’s two-man advantage.

Slafkovsky then tied the game on the power play at 10:33 of the second, finishing a silky feed from Demidov and a secondary assist from Hutson — combining for an average age of 20.33 on the goal.

Caufield made it 2-1 at 18:32 with another power-play goal to raise the Bell Centre’s roof.

Then the Capitals came out in the third period on a mission.

“Sometimes our group needs to just be reminded of who we are, what we’ve battled through, and the capability that we have, even though (crap) hits the fan,” Carbery said, referencing the missed power-play opportunities. “The building is erupting, you’re going to deal with that if you’re going to win a playoff series, you’re going to have to overcome adversity.

“That was a prime example tonight of us being able to do that.”

Energized by the Game 3 win, thousands of rabid fans packed the streets outside the Bell Centre. Those inside the building — including former Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban — drowned out public address announcer Michel Lacroix and delayed the national anthems with “Go Habs Go!” and “Olé, Olé, Olé!” chants.

Game 5 goes Wednesday at Capital One Arena in Washington.

“It’s a resilient group and we knew we had to win a game there, so we’re going to do that,” St. Louis said. “We’ll keep extending this series.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press