During Friday night's game between the Bruins and Capitals, Washington winger Tom Wilson hit Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo up high, resulting in Carlo needing help off the ice. Wilson was not penalized for the hit. Carlo was down on the ice for a few minutes, and after being assisted off the ice was ruled out for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury.
Brandon Carlo takes one up high from Tom Wilson in the corner. No penalty is called...
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2021
UPDATE: Brandon Carlo (upper body) will not return to tonight's game. #NHLBruins
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 6, 2021
The hit came in the final minutes of the first period. Here is a look at what went down:
Tom Wilson hits Brandon Carlo up high.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 6, 2021
Carlo needs help getting off the ice. pic.twitter.com/RgACye1H7l
Carlo was headed for the puck and was near the boards when Wilson hit him in the head. The Capitals winger also pushed him into the glass with his shoulder.
Bruins players were less than thrilled with the hit and Boston center Patrice Bergeron approached Wilson to share his thoughts.
Patrice Bergeron has words with Tom Wilson ahead of the second period. pic.twitter.com/Wml1vFC50G
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 6, 2021
Other players used actions, rather than words, to come to the defense of their teammate after the hit.
Jarred Tinordi steps up in his second game for Boston and goes with Tom Wilson after his hit on Carlo #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/kyVc70xXfp
— Bruins Diehards (@BruinsDiehards) March 6, 2021
In an interview with NESN's Sofia Jurksztowicz during intermission, Bergeron had strong words for Wilson's hit.
"That was a bull-- hit. Brando had his head down in the corner. He took a liberty on a guy that was in a vulnerable spot. So, that's a [expletive] cheapshot there. We lost a great player," Bergeron said. "It's great to see him skate off the ice by himself, but he was obviously in a bad spot and he was hurting. So, that's a bad hit."
"That was a bull**** hit"
— NESN (@NESN) March 6, 2021
Brad Marchand responds to Tom Wilson's hit on Brandon Carlo. pic.twitter.com/HvdBMGKKN3
Wilson has been suspended four times in his career over hits. His most recent suspension for a hit came in 2018, when he hit Blues center Oskar Sundqvist in the head during a pre-season game. He received a 20-game suspension for that hit.