Tom Wilson, Public Enemy No. 1 as far as the Rangers are concerned, is back at Madison Square Garden on Thursday with his Washington Capitals. It is the first time Wilson has played at the Garden since May 5, two days after he body-slammed a helmetless Artemi Panarin in a game against a Blueshirts team that was playing out the string at the end of the 2020-21 season.
That night, Wilson fought then-Rangers defenseman Brendan Smith, one of six fights in the Capitals’ 4-2 victory in a game that saw three simultaneous fights as soon as the puck was dropped for the opening faceoff.