Members of the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals will just have to agree to disagree about a controversial hit thrown by Capitals forward Tom Wilson on Wednesday.
While back-checking late in the third period and his team up two goals, Wilson caught Senators forward Curtis Lazar with a hit in open ice.
Wilson was assessed a match penalty and Lazar was attended to by the Ottawa training staff.
Senators coach Dave Cameron, speaking to reporters after his team lost 2-1 to the red-hot Capitals, was adamant officials on the ice “made the right call” on Wilson.
Capitals coach Barry Trotz, however, didn’t seem to think so.
On the Wilson ejection, Trotz said that after re-watching it, wasn't sure it was even a penalty. Thought contact was hip-to-hip.
— Isabelle Khurshudyan (@ikhurshudyan) December 17, 2015
Wilson defended the hit. He said (in the video below) the main point of contact seemed to be hip on hip. He added that the only reason the hit looked bad was because Lazar had “no clue I’m there.”
“I watched the replay a couple times. I’m doing exactly what I’ve been told -- track the puck,” said Wilson, as per CSN Mid-Atlantic. “It’s a two-on-two, I don’t think he ever sees me. I wasn’t even really trying to hit him. I just take away his space and his neck snaps a little bit.
“I don’t know. You’re going to have watch the replay yourselves and come up with your own opinion. I have my opinion, but it doesn’t really matter at this point. We got the win and we’ll see what happens with that. I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal.”
Supervisor of officials Don Koharski told me after the game that Wilson's match penalty carries automatic review, not automatic suspension.
— Chuck Gormley (@CharlesAGormley) December 17, 2015