Tom Wilson punches defenseless Ranger, rag-dolls Artemi Panarin: ‘Horrible’

The nature of the game may change this time of year as the playoffs approach, but that does not excuse the deplorable nature with which notorious Capitals forward Tom Wilson played the game Monday night and throughout his eight NHL seasons.

Wilson reminded everybody of that Monday night at Madison Square Garden, when he punched Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was face down on the ice and then rag-dolled Artemi Panarin, knocking the Rangers’ star winger out of the rest of the game, and for the final three games of the season, as the Blueshirts were officially eliminated from playoff contention with a 6-3 loss to the Capitals. The debacle occurred shortly after the Rangers’ took a 3-2 lead on a Kaapo Kakko goal roughly 4 ¹/₂ minutes into the second period. Wilson, whose roughing penalty at the start of the middle frame led to Mika Zibanejad’s game-tying goal, was on the ice to kill off the Capitals’ bench minor (too many men) when he acted out as he has many times before.