Wilson is a big hit on Ovi’s line
Toronto native proving there is more to his game than crushing (and controversial) checks
ARLINGTON, VA.— Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson wore the label like a tattoo during his first four NHL seasons: a fourth-line enforcer who often committed bad penalties with devastating hits.
Since selecting the Toronto native with the16th overall pick in the 2012 draft, the Capitals had tried on and off to make Wilson, 24, fit on one of their top lines, but the experiment always seemed to fizzle — until this season.
Now, the six-foot-four, 218-pound Wilson is skating on the Capitals’ top line with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov, bringing energy, controlling the physical side of his game, scoring and playing a crucial defensive role.
“He is such a dynamic player,” Washington centre Jay Beagle said. “There is no slow start for him. He goes all-out. He is scoring and making plays. The defensive side of his game, the way he kills penalties and the way he hits and puts fear into other team’s eyes — especially the defensive core. There are maybe two or three other guys that play a similar style like him in the league.”
Wilson might provide the spark that pushes the Capitals over the hump against the two-time defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who have owned Washington in the playoffs. The Penguins have won nine of the past 10 series dating to 1991.
The teams’ current series was tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Wilson’s presence has been felt in the first two games, in good ways and bad.
In Game1, he had two assists, including one on an Ovechkin goal, to help the Capitals to a 2-0 lead before they surrendered three third-period goals in a 3-2 loss.
During the Capitals’ 4-1 win in Game 2 on Sunday, Wilson knocked Penguins defenceman Brian Dumoulin out of the game with a controversial second-period hit.
“He makes an impact in each game,” said Capitals defenceman Brooks Orpik, a former Penguin. “He opens things up for Kuzy and Ovi with his physicality. He complements those guys really well. He handles a lot of the defensive responsibilities for that line, which a lot of people don’t realize.”
Wilson’s lack of consistency and discipline had been his undoing since he entered the league at 19. He was suspended twice this season for late and excessive hits in pre-season games. But Wilson, who will be a restricted free agent in July, produced career highs in goals (14), assists (21) and ice time per game (15:59) this regular season. He also sees time as a key penalty killer.
Wilson himself is in the penalty box a lot — he ranked second in the NHL with 187 minutes this season, behind Florida’s Micheal Haley (212 minutes), and leads the league with 806 since the 201314 season. But he has often sent players there, drawing a league-high 54 penalties this season.
Wilson said developing a rapport with officials has become more important.
“When you are a young guy, I think the refs kind of shrug you off,” he said. “You get the cold shoulder a lot. That said, I have built a reputation of playing physical.”
Wilson proved he could perform in the postseason last year against the Toronto Maple Leafs, his hometown team. He scored three goals as Washington won the first-round series in six games.
He came through again in the Capitals’ first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets this season. He scored the opening goal in road victories in Games 3 and 4 to swing the series in Washington’s favour after the Capitals fell behind by two games to none.
Wilson recognized that he put the team in a bad spot in the first two games against Columbus, committing costly penalties in each that resulted in powerplay goals. He desperately wanted to make amends.
“I felt I owed a little bit to my teammates,” Wilson said. “I made a couple of bad decisions that came back to haunt us. You have to make sure you are hungry to do more for your team.”