Tom Wilson & Capitals Share Take On Artemi Panarin's Hit On T.J. Oshie: 'Looks Like He's Going After Him'

The Washington Capitals were left asking quite a few questions as T.J. Oshie headed off the ice at Madison Square Garden following a controversial high hit from Artemi Panarin.

Oshie was skating when Panarin went in for a check, catching Oshie up high and appearing to catch him in the head with his shoulder and back.

After Oshie went down, Connor McMichael went after Panarin, and as athletic trainer Jason Serbus attended to Oshie, officials reviewed the play for a major penalty. After review, there was no call on Panarin, and McMichael received two minutes for roughing.

It caused a stir and confusion for the Capitals, especially Carbery, as Oshie was pulled by concussion spotters.

"They said it wasn't a minor penalty was the only explanation I got. I asked a few follow-up questions with regards to leaving feet, point of contact, and the one thing that's tricky is the spotter removes him," Carbery told reporters following the loss. "We watch a video at the beginning of the year of what they're looking for for concussion symptoms or a hit and who needs to be removed. To me, when the spotter removes him, there has to be some kind of contact with the head. So that's where I was a little bit confused on him being removed by the spotters and then no minor penalty on the ice."

Dylan Strome, who saw the play unfold from the bench, agreed and said that he believed there was clear contact with Oshie's head.

"I mean, I saw it live. I feel like when you see a guy's head snap back kind of from the side — Obviously Panarin, I don't think is a dirty player by any means, but you know, I don't know, I don't see how they review it and then — it looked like to us like he got hit in the head. I don't know. It looked like the shoulder in the head, the concussion spotters call Oshie out and he has to go off the ice, so we lose him for 10 minutes, whatever it was and we get the only penalty on the play," Strome said. "I don't know; I feel like they obviously watched the replay, so clearly they thought it wasn't penalty-worthy. Maybe it was a penalty and maybe it couldn't be a five because that's what they were reviewing for, but those are calls that sometimes go your way and sometimes don't. I'm not sure if the league will take a look at it. I feel like the refs did, so it's in the past now. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way; we got a penalty and we killed it. Hopefully, Oshie's okay, and then we move on."

Per NHL Rulebook Rule 48.1 for an illegal check to the head, "a hit resulting in contact with an opponent's head where the head was the main point of contact and such contact to the head was avoidable is not permitted." Three circumstances go into determining whether head contact is available, including:

1. Whether the player attempted to hit squarely through the opponent’s body and the head was not "picked" as a result of poor timing, poor angle of approach, or unnecessary extension of the body upward or outward.
2. (ii) Whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position by assuming a posture that made head contact on an otherwise full body check unavoidable.
3. (iii) Whether the opponent materially changed the position of his body or head immediately prior to or simultaneously with the hit in a way that significantly contributed to the head contact.

Based on the rulebook and call, the officials decided the intended point of contact was not the head, and based on circumstances, Panarin wasn't penalized.

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Still, Tom Wilson, who didn't see the hit live, pointed out that his issue with the hit is how Panarin goes in for the check when Oshie is knowingly in a vulnerable spot with his head down.

"I didn't see it. I saw the very tail end of it live. It's one of those things that looks like he's going after him a little bit. Osh is in a vulnerable spot and he gets him high. I don't know if he gets him in the head; I haven't watched it," Wilson said. "It's one of those things where everybody stands up, you know, he definitely went after him. So that's playoff hockey and you're gonna get hit, you're gonna give his. I think Osh is okay, so that's the main thing."