Two days after he was sent flying into the boards on a hit by Washington’s Tom Wilson, Philadelphia forward Brayden Schenn will be in the lineup tonight when his Flyers host Columbus.
The hit by Wilson occurred late in the second period and forced Schenn out of the game with what appeared to be a serious injury, possibly a concussion. Wilson received a major penalty and game misconduct for charging.
Is Schenn surprised he’s able to play tonight?
“I really am,” he said, per CSN Philly. “I feel blessed and lucky with what happened. I don’t think I’ve ever gone head-first into the boards – I’ve put my shoulder, elbow, something in the way first. I think I got real lucky on that play.”
That Schenn escaped serious injury may also be good news for Wilson, who’s facing supplementary discipline for the play. Injuries are a factor when the league considers punishment.
Meanwhile, Capitals coach Adam Oates reiterated his belief today that Wilson did nothing wrong.
"[Schenn] chose to try to spin out. Wrong choice,” Oates said, per Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News. “To me, it’s a totally clean hit.”
Related: Capitals don’t see much wrong with Wilson’s hit on Schenn