Capitals' Wilson admits he needs to change the way he plays

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is re-evaluating the way he plays as he awaits his appeal hearing for his 20-game suspension.

The 24-year-old was handed the ban for his hit to the head of St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist during the preseason and will have missed six games by the time of his appeal hearing on Thursday.

In the meantime, he's acknowledged that he needs to change the way he plays the game.

"Yeah, for sure," Wilson said, according to The Athletic's Chris Kuc. "The hitting aspect of the game is definitely changing a little bit and I have to be smart out there and I have to play within the rules."

Wilson's latest suspension is his fourth over his last 105 games, including preseason and playoff games, and will cost him $1.26 million in lost salary unless it is reduced on appeal.

Since joining the league during the 2013-14 season, Wilson has tallied 806 penalty minutes, including a career-high 187 last season.