Bruins pummel Capitals after Wilson hit knocks Carlo out of game

*Photo from USA Today*

   Tom Wilson hit Brandon Carlo. Not just a regular hit, he headshotted Carlo right into the boards. After Carlo left the game shaken up, he was transported to an area hospital by ambulance. No penalty was called on Wilson. So the suddenly shorthanded Boston Bruins took matters into their own hands. Brad Marchand scored two goals, Jarred Tinordi and Trent Frederic took turns fighting Wilson, and the Bruins topped the Capitals with a dominating 5-1 win on Friday night. 

   Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy addressed Wilson's hit after the game, saying that "It's a fast game, they play hard, we play hard. But you could see it. He hit him clearly in the head. Defenseless player, predatory hit from a player that's done that before. I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty called on the ice. They huddled up, but I did not get an explanation why. It's out of our hands after that. We've just got to play hockey and try to stick together as a team and play the right way. Sometimes when that happens and there's no call, the players settle it on the ice in their own way and we felt like we pushed back and did what we could do."

   Marchand started the scoring for the Bruins 14:21 into the game, with his 11th goal of the season making it 1-0 Bruins. In the second period, while Wilson was in the penalty box after fighting Tinordi, the Bruins ripped off 3 more goals, with Trent Frederic, Patrice Bergeron, and Marchand all scoring with Wilson in the box. In the 3rd, Nick Ritchie scored for the Bruins and Jakub Vrana scored, making it a 5-1 Bruins win.

   Tinordi, recently claimed off waivers by the Bruins, fought the big Wilson in his second game with the team. Tinordi talked about fighting Wilson, saying that "You can't have guys taking liberties with our guys out there. That's the way I've always played, that's the way a lot of players on the team play. You've got to recognize that. I thought it was a little bit of a cheap shot. Our guy goes down and we responded in a big way."

   Jaroslav Halak was the starting goalie for the Bruins, picking up the win in a good outing. Halak saved 31 shots out of the 32 that came his way, the only mistake being a tough angle goal by Vrana. Halak's record improved to 5-2-1 this season with the win, and the Bruins possess a 13-5-3 record on the season, 3rd place in the NHL's East Division. 

   Marchand offered his take on the Wilson debacle, saying that "You hate to see a guy go down, whether he's your teammate or your opponent. Brando's a huge part of this team and he's a great player. Most importantly, you're concerned about his health. He was put in a bad spot, but the response was great. Guys went out and did their job. It didn't need to be said. They just took control and answered the bell. As a team, we played the right way after that. We didn't let it distract us or get us down. Obviously, we were thinking about Brando all game, but we did the job and took care of business on the ice."

   Bergeron, the Bruins captain, praised Tinordi and Frederic for their fights against Wilson, saying that "What Jarred did and Freddy, as well, is something that doesn't go unnoticed. Very selfless and it's for each other, obviously, backing each other. That being said, it's also about how we play, how we react, and I thought it was a solid game all around from everyone. Doing it for Brando. He's a huge part of our team and he's been having our back for a while as well."

   Vitek Vanecek was the starting goalie for the Capitals, taking the loss in this one. Vanecek saved 14 shots out of 18 that came his way. After Marchand scored his second goal of the night to make it 4-0 Bruins, Vanecek was pulled in favor of Ilya Samsonov, recently returning from the Covid list. Samsonov saved 6 shots out of the 7 that came his way. Vanecek, the losing goalie in the game, now has a 10-5-3 record on the season, and the Capitals have a 13-6-4 record, second place in the East Division.

   Capitals defensemen Zedeno Chara, a former Bruin, talked about the loss, saying that "I personally think it would be a different game if we would capitalize on those chances we had in the first period. I thought we had a lot of Grade A scoring chances and that we could easily score two or three goals in the first, and I'm sure it'd be a different game."

   The Capitals travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Sunday, potentially without Wilson, who was invited to a in person hearing with the NHL department of player safety. Samsonov is expected to start for the Capitals. The Bruins host the Devils on Sunday, with Tuukka Rask slated to start.