The hit on Juraj Slafkovsky: it brings to mind the Alexandre Carrier vs. Tom Wilson incident

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The hit on Juraj Slafkovsky: it brings to mind the Alexandre Carrier vs. Tom Wilson incident
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

In 2025, Tom Wilson dominated the first-round series between the Canadiens and the Capitals.

He really set the pace, and it was largely thanks to his physical play that the Caps beat the Canadiens in five games.

And we especially remember this…

In Game 4 of the series, with the Canadiens leading 2-1, Wilson delivered a hard hit to Alexandre Carrier, who was sidelined for the remainder of the series.

On that play, the Capitals scored to tie the game. They never looked back, winning the game… and the series.

The problem? When you watch Game 4 of the Habs' first-round series in 2026 against the Lightning, you can still see similarities between Tom Wilson's hit and Max Crozier's hit on Juraj Slafkovsky.

Game #4… the Habs were leading 2-1… the hit took the wind out of the Habs fans' sails… the team gave up a goal shortly after and ultimately lost the game…

Martin St-Louis may say that's not what shifted the momentum, but we can see it clearly: it changed the course of the game and the Canadiens' style of play.

And the Lightning's, of course.

Right now, the Habs must be hoping that the Slovakian won't be too dazed in the coming days (including this morning), but also that the momentum doesn't swing too far in the Lightning's favor. After all, Slaf was also knocked out during his fight early in the series.

Early in his career, he struggled to protect himself. And now, after two hard hits in the series, we wonder if he'll be at full strength on Wednesday. He can't afford to be timid if he's going to make a difference.

Oh, one last thing: Cole Caufield, who is small, probably doesn't like seeing the big guy on his line getting roughed up like that. It must make him a little timid and affect his ability to score goals.

Right?


In a nutshell

– Note.

– Prediction: This baby won't be growing up in Ottawa.

– Note this.

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