The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday that two players, once each from the Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens, will be punished for the events that took place in Game 3 between the two franchises.
Capitals forward Tom Wilson and Canadiens forward Josh Anderson have been fined $5,000 each, following unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from the brawl at the end of the second period of Friday’s matchup.
The incident took place at Bell Centre in Canada when a tense confrontation between Wilson and Arber Xhekaj escalated.
After referees separated Wilson and Xhekaj, Anderson engaged Wilson in a scrap that spilled onto the Capitals’ bench.
Both players were assessed two-minute roughing minors and 10-minute misconducts during the game.
Washington’s Tom Wilson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct during last night’s game against Montreal.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 26, 2025
The $5,000 fines are the maximum allowable under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
In addition to the fines, the NHL confirmed that the money will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Montreal’s Josh Anderson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct during last night’s game against Washington.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 26, 2025
Wilson, no stranger to supplemental discipline, had previously been suspended or fined nine times during his career, though he had managed to avoid penalties throughout the 2024–25 regular season.
Anderson, meanwhile, was suspended two games earlier in his career for a boarding incident during the 2022–23 campaign.
Despite the penalties, neither Wilson nor Anderson will miss time, and both are eligible to play in Game 4.
Montreal will look to build on the momentum from its 6-3 win in Game 3, which cut Washington’s series lead to 2-1.
Christian Dvorak, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Alexandre Carrier, and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens. Connor McMichael, Jakob Chychrun, and Alex Ovechkin found the net for the Capitals.
Game 4 is set to take place at Bell Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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