David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Capitals' Tom Wilson Escapes NHL Punishment After Postgame Review

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 10:27 AM ET

The aftermath of Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s heavy first-period collision with Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil drew plenty of scrutiny following Washington’s 4–3 loss on Sunday afternoon.

The open-ice hit occurred late in the opening period, with Wilson catching Chytil in the chest seconds after a pass through the neutral zone.

Chytil went down hard and did not return to the game, while Wilson was initially assessed a major penalty so officials could review the play. After examining video, referees overturned the call, ruling it a legal body check.

Making things more concerning, the Canucks forward has a history of concussions, including multiple extended absences over the past two seasons.

In case anyone was wondering, there will be no supplementary discipline for this play

Hopefully, Chytil is okay. He's battled so many injuries https://t.co/9hPWOFrk6I
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 20, 2025

Rick Dhaliwal later reported the NHL’s Department of Player Safety would still take another look at the hit, though early indications were that the officials’ ruling would stand.

Elliotte Friedman confirmed that outcome Monday, reporting the league reviewed the play and agreed with the on-ice decision.

“In case anyone was wondering, there will be no supplementary discipline for this play,” Friedman reported on X. “Hopefully, Chytil is okay. He’s battled so many injuries.”

Wilson’s reputation brought added attention to the incident, but he has not faced supplemental discipline since a seven-game suspension in 2021 for boarding Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.

Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson (43) goes past the fans on his way to warmups.James Guillory-Imagn Images

Canucks head coach Adam Foote called the play “a clean hit” on first viewing but added he would review it further before commenting fully.

“It looked like on my first view that it was a clean hit, but I want to look at it again,” Foote said. “He (Wilson) is a big guy and I like how our guys didn’t get caught in the trap of tying to get him. Get the two points first and that stuff gets taken care of later down the road — if it needs to be taken care of.”

Wilson logged 20 minutes, 57 seconds of ice time with two assists and seven hits in the loss. Washington fell to 4–2–0 and will close its homestand against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: