WASHINGTON -- Jack Johnson and T.J. Oshie go way back.
They faced each other twice in the NCAA Tournament, Johnson with Michigan and Oshie with North Dakota.
Johnson was also there on the bench that day in Russia back in 2014 when the Capitals forward became known as T.J. Sochi, an American hero for his exploits in the shootout at those Olympics.
The Penguins defenseman knows exactly the kind of person and player that Oshie is.
"He's a tough guy," Johnson told DKPittsburghSports.com. "I'm not surprised seeing him stay in the game."
Nope, it didn't faze Johnson one bit that Oshie returned for the start of the second period after taking Olli Maatta's stick to the face early in he first period, seemingly the only infraction that referees Wes McAuley and Chris Schlenker didn't call Wednesday night.
Johnson wasn't surprised, either, to see Oshie come back in the final 3:31 after being knocked out of the game 14 minutes earlier. Wasn't surprised either that it was Oshie who put the dagger in the Capitals' 2-1 win over Johnson's Penguins at Capital One Arena.
The fact that Oshie came back at all might be what spares Evgeni Malkin from supplementary discipline from the league.
Malkin was assessed a match penalty, a five-minute major, for this illegal hit to the head of Oshie at 3:27 of the third period:
It was just the latest chapter in the Penguins-Capitals rivalry, quite possibly the NHL's most brutal.
Oshie, of course, is no stranger to it.
He has fined $5,000 last February for his crosscheck on Kris Letang. Following the Penguins' win in Game 4 of last spring's second-round playoff series, it was Oshie who fought Letang after time expired.
It was also Oshie who provided the most ardent defense of Tom Wilson after the Capitals' uber-pest broke the jaw and concussed Zach Aston-Reese with another illegal hit to the head.
“If I’m out against a heavier guy on the other team, I know if I get a puck in this situation, I know where he is on the ice,” the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Oshie said in May. “I think that’s part of playing in the NHL, that’s part of being a mature, aware player.
"I think we have too many guys in the league now who think they can go out and do whatever they want. If anyone touches them, they think it’s going to be a penalty or a suspension. There has to be more emphasis on guys being aware of their surroundings."
Well, a strange thing happened Wednesday night.
On a power play, Malkin entered the Washington zone with the puck on his stick when Oshie, backchecking on the play, appeared to attempt to check the much taller Malkin. It did not go well for Oshie, who has four documented concussions in his career.
Oshie was down for a few moments before getting back to his skates and appeared wobbly as he made his way down the runway to the dressing room.
To be fair, Malkin has long had a penchant for taking offensive zone penalties, but nothing quite like this.
Clearly, the point of contact is Oshie's head. The question is whether it was intentional.
Given the situation in the game, Johnson said no way.
"I didn't see a lot of replays," the defenseman said. "My first opinion on it, without seeing a bunch of replays, is that it's an unfortunate hockey play. I don't think Evgeni was carrying the puck up the ice on a power play trying to win a game, looking to hit someone in the head."
Only Malkin knows the answer to that. But he seemed to sense that Oshie was closing in on him and either braced for contact or raised his shoulder to clip Oshie with a blow to the head.
"He maybe thought I was coming to hit him and so he threw the reverse shoulder out there, which I try to do that all the time," said Oshie, who took two stitches. "I did it at least once tonight. I just wasn't expecting it being on the PK. You don't typically go for hits."
Given the players involved and their respective histories, an intentional hit seems plausible.
Malkin, who was also penalized in the second period for roughing John Carlson, plays with an edge but has a long history of losing his composure, particularly vs. Washington.
During a game last April 2, Malkin had to be restrained at the bench from going after Evgeny Kuznetsov for yelling at him in Russian. That incident stemmed after a scrum between Malkin and Oshie.
Malkin, who was fined $5,000 last January for spearing the Kings' Dustin Brown, did not speak with reporters following Wednesday's game. Mike Sullivan was asked his opinion about the hit but offered only: "It doesn't matter what I think."
However, Malkin will almost certainly be speaking with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. It's highly questionable whether Malkin will be suspended, but he could be facing another fine.
"Those are things we’re trying to remove from the game," said Capitals coach Todd Reirden. "We’re just really fortunate that it wasn’t something that was more serious and he was able to come back.”
Whether an illegal hit has caused injury has traditionally been a barometer on determining whether there will be supplementary discipline. Since Oshie cleared concussion protocol and returned, it likely will save Malkin from further punishment.
Said Oshie: "I don't care what happens to him."
