The Montreal Canadiens had a tough time against the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. Not only did they lose the game 8-4, but another player got injured. Just like in last year’s playoffs, Washington’s resident tough guy Tom Wilson found a way to hurt the Habs without scoring a goal.
With the Capitals leading 3-2 in the second frame, Wilson lined up Jake Evans by the boards and landed a big hit on him. After the game, coach Martin St-Louis said he didn’t like the hit and he found it high. Evans only played one shift after taking that blow to the head, and given his concussion history, that is a worry.
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Last Saturday, both Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj dropped the gloves early against the Boston Bruins, but on Thursday, neither of them paid a visit to Wilson. That’s the same Wilson who changed the course of the playoff series last season when he obliterated Alex Carrier with a bone-crushing hit.
Jake Evans went back to the dressing after this encounter with Tom Wilson pic.twitter.com/13hou59uGx
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 21, 2025
I’m not a big fan of fighting in the NHL, but the high hit on Evans did look like something that would have warranted retaliation. Why didn’t Xhekaj jump on Wilson to settle the score? I know he wasn’t on the ice at the time, but he could have done so later. It’s something he would have done without any hesitation a couple of seasons ago. Does he lack confidence because he has lost his last couple of fights? Does he fear that taking a penalty could get him out of the lineup? If your tough guy doesn’t know that he can step up in a moment like that, when does he think that he can? Have the Canadiens denatured Xhekaj?
There’s no denying that he plays a more mature game and doesn’t fight as often as he once did, but he is still seen as a protector for his teammates, and he missed a good opportunity to act yesterday. The same could be said of Jayden Struble, who’s competing with Xhekaj for the sixth defenseman role when Kaiden Guhle comes back.
Not only was there no call on the play, but three seconds later, Jacob Chychrun scored the Capitals’ fourth goal of the game. Montreal bounced back nicely with Nick Suzuki scoring 38 seconds later, but the Canadiens still came up short.
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