BOSTON – Bruins defender Brandon Carlo “feels better,” but has been holding up week after week since the first time Washington Capitals striker Tom Wilson had a seven-game suspension, he said Sunday. ‘coach Bruce Cassidy.
“Obviously, it’s going to come out for a while,” Cassidy said.
The NHL suspended Wilson for the fifth time in his career on Saturday, after his success in the first period of Friday night’s game sent Carlo to the hospital by ambulance. The Capitals wing will also lose $ 311,781.61 in salary.
“What separates this success from others is the direct and significant contact with the face and head of a defenseless player, causing a violent impact with the cup,” the league said in a statement. “He is a player with an important disciplinary history who takes advantage of an opponent who is in a defenseless position and does so with significant strength.”
Although no diagnosis has been released, Carlo was left noisy leaving the ice after Wilson smashed his head against the glass, a telltale sign of a concussion. Cassidy called the hit a “predator,” but declined to go into details about the suspension.
“I was glad they looked at it and evaluated some discipline,” he said. “I shared my feelings about how I felt about success … I moved forward and prepared for New Jersey.”
The Bruins return to the ice Sunday night against the Devils.
“The guys are in a good place,” Cassidy said, adding that he texted Carlo on Sunday morning. “They’re worried about Brandon. Receiving good news that feels better helps our group. We’re a very close-knit group.”