Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson avoided his 10th suspension from the NHL, but he did not skate away unscathed from Saturday’s ruling from the NHL’s Department of Safety. Wilson and Montreal Canadiens’ winger Josh Anderson each received a $5,000 fine from the NHL for their actions at the end of the second period in Game 3 at Bell Centre.
As the period ended, chaos ensued between the two squads. It began with the traditional pushing and shoving matches, but soon turned into a wrestling match you’d find on an episode of Friday Night SmackDown. The main event featured Wilson versus Anderson, a 225-pound fighter versus a 226-pound scrapper, complete with an official attempting to separate the combatants. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery had a front-row ticket to the action as it occurred on the Washington bench right in front of him.
— Mrk (@MTLpuck) April 26, 2025
Wilson and Anderson received 12 total penalty minutes, one minor penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. Two other players, the Capitals’ Lars Eller and the Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj, received two-minute minors for roughing in the skirmish. The officials handed out nearly 30 minutes of penalties at the end of the second period.
There were no additional incidents in the Canadiens’ 6-3 victory in Game 3. Washington and Montreal will return to the Bell Centre for Game 4 on Sunday night. The Capitals lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
