CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Capitals forward Tom Wilson has been suspended three games by the NHL for his hit to the head of Zach Aston-Reese during Tuesday night's game at PPG Paints Arena.
As a result, Aston-Reese is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion and broken jaw, likely a determining factor in the length of the suspension. Wilson will not be eligible to return until a potential Game 7 of the Penguins-Capitals second-round series. Washington holds a 2-1 lead heading into Thursday night's Game 4 in Pittsburgh.
The Department of Player Safety announced its decision Wednesday evening, hours after it said it would hold a phone hearing for Wilson. Here is the accompanying video explaining their verdict:
It was the second game in a row that Wilson had delivered a questionable hit. He avoided league punishment just two days earlier for his hit on Brian Dumoulin that forced the Penguins defenseman out of Game 2. Dumoulin passed the NHL's protocol and returned to practice the following day.
How this will affect the series remains to be seen but Wilson, who was second in the league in penalty minutes with 186, has been skating as the Capitals' first-line right wing with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
In nine playoff games this spring, Wilson had seven points (two goals and five assists). In the second-round series against the Penguins, he has four assists. Though not credited with an official assist on Ovechkin's game-winning goal with just 1:07 remaining in Game 3, his trip of Olli Maatta helped spring Ovechkin and Backstrom on a 2-on-1 break:
Obviously, the Penguins knew that a suspension might be coming. Mike Sullivan lobbied for one after Game 3, immediately revealing the nature of Aston-Reese’s injury. But after Wednesday's practice at the Lemieux Sports Complex, the coach stressed the need for his team to move on.
"I don’t think our team even focuses on that, quite honestly," he said. "We're focused on playing hockey. That’s the most important aspect of the game. We're going to do our job: That's control what we can."
Barring the Penguins reaching a third straight Stanley Cup Final, it's hard to envision Aston-Reese returning this season. A prized free agent signing last summer as a Hobey Baker finalist at Northeastern, Aston-Reese had four goals and two assists in 16 games upon his recall from the AHL in February. He missed most of March with a lower body injury and had one assist in nine playoff games while skating in a fourth-line role.
At 6-feet and 204 pounds, Aston-Reese was one of the bigger Penguins wingers who played a physical style.
With Aston-Reese out, Dominik Simon is likely to remain in the lineup. The Czech rookie has two assists this postseason after recording 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 33 regular season games.