Capitals’ Dubois ejected after tackling Blues’ Thomas

A rather reckless play led to a veteran being sent to the showers early.

During a game between the Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, Capitals forward Pierre-Luc Dubois was ejected from the game after tackling Blues forward Robert Thomas.

The play in question occurred before the halfway mark of the third period. With the Blues holding possession in the Capitals’ zone, Thomas looked to run a little bit of interference for teammate Jimmy Snuggerud. When Dubois collided with Thomas, the former decided to take down the Aurora, Ont. native.

As a result of his actions, Dubois received a match penalty, bringing the total to 15 minutes on the play. Thomas was handed a minor penalty for interference.

Under NHL rules, a match penalty triggers an automatic review by the Department of Player Safety.

Dubois ended up logging 15:50 of ice time across 19 shifts, posting a shot on goal and delivering a hit. Washington would go on to lose the game, 3-0, giving the team back-to-back defeats.

The 27-year-old came into Tuesday night with just four penalty minutes on his record so far this season. Granted, he has only played 20 games this season, as he missed 47 games thanks to an abdominal injury he suffered in a game against the New York Islanders on October 31st. The matchup with the Blues was Dubois’ 13th game since returning from injury right before the Olympic break.

Dubois has just four goals and five assists for nine points so far this year, with a plus/minus of -5 while averaging 17:36 of ice time per game.

With the loss, the Capitals (35-28-9) remain sixth in the Metropolitan Division, six points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.