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Capitals bounce back against Maple Leafs in our NHL 20 simulation

By Michael Marzzacco

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: Richard Panik #14 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Capital One Arena on January 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 29: Richard Panik #14 of the Washington Capitals celebrates his goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Capital One Arena on January 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Capitals bounced back in a big way in today’s NHL 20 simulation.

The Washington Capitals cruised to a 7-4 win and every time the Toronto Maple Leafs had a goal, the Caps would answer right back. This aligns well with NBC Sports Washington’s NHL 20 simulation, who also took care of the Maple Leafs last night.

It was a high scoring affair in the first 20 minutes with a combined five goals from both sides. 1:20 in Evgeny Kuznetsov put the Caps in front 1-0 off a quick feed in front of the net from Alex Ovechkin. Jakub Vrana had the secondary assist. It was Kuznetsov’s 15th of the season.

At 6:40 the Maple Leafs tied it with a goal from Auston Matthews. the Caps would answer every time the Maple Leafs tied it. First it was Brendan Leipsic putting the Caps in front 2-1 at 8:44. Lars Eller and Carl Hagelin had the helpers. It was Leipsic’s 12th of the season.

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The Maple Leafs tied it at 11:20 on a goal from William Nylander but at 17:06 the Caps would answer right back with Richard Panik‘s 16th goal of the season.

3-2 good guys was the score after 20 with the Caps leading in shots 14-8.

The second period was a little quieter than the explosive first period. After Dmitry Orlov was called for tripping 3:37 in, the Capitals killed off the Maple Leafs power play attack.

The Maple Leafs would still tie it on even strength at 9:20 with a goal from Alexander Kerfoot. 3-3 was the score after two periods with the Caps having the edge in shots 22-18.

The Caps took the lead 3:25 in on a downtown blast from Orlov for his fourth goal of the season. John Carlson and Ilya Samsonov had the assists. Lars Eller expanded that lead to two with his 20th goal of the season assists coming from Carl Hagelin and Leipsic.

The Maple Leafs wouldn’t quit however, Kasperi Kapanen answered with 45 seconds left and it was enough to pull their goalie. But the Caps made sure to put the game away with two empty net goals from Panik and Hagelin. 7-4 would be the final score.

The Capitals outshot the Maple Leafs 35-27 and were outhit 10-8. They didn’t have a power play but killed off the game’s only. Toronto had the edge on the face-off dot 20-11. Ilya Samsonov got the win stopping 23 out of 27 shots for a .852 save percentage.

https://twitter.com/MonSportsNet/status/1245320006134423552

Here are highlights from NBC Sports Washington’s simulated game, also resulting in a Caps win.

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Check back on Friday to see how our virtual Caps do against the Minnesota Wild.

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