Trust us: it’s really difficult to score goals in the NHL.
You probably know that already, but sometimes you stand in awe of blistering displays of skill and, maybe for a moment, believe that it’s easy. Players like Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Simmonds make it look that way, especially when they score from their respective “offices” (faceoff circle one-timer for Ovechkin; in the dirty areas around the net for Simmonds).
On Thursday night, each high-volume scorer instead capitalized on small mistakes and windows that could close quickly to score some pretty goals.
Above, you can see Ovechkin’s sweet, sweet goal against the New Jersey Devils, his 23rd of the season.
Below, observe Simmonds making no mistake on his 21st of 2016-17:
That’s some All-Star-level work right there.
Update: The Capitals ended up beating the Devils 5-2.
For the second straight season, #Caps head into the All-Star break with the NHL's best record (33-10-6; 72 points).
— Ben Raby (@BenRaby31) January 27, 2017
Meanwhile, the Flyers edged the Maple Leafs 2-1. Nice night for both of their teams.