The odds are now with the Capitals. According to the NHL, 21 of 27 teams that took a 2-1 lead in the Final by winning Game 3 have won the Cup, though the last three instances (Tampa Bay in 2004, Chicago in 2013 and in 2015) were exceptions. Defenseman Brooks Orpik, a 2009 Cup champion with Pittsburgh, acknowledged it’s difficult for players to avoid thinking about the prize that’s within their reach but they’re determined not to lose focus now. “We’ve been down in series and come back in [three] of those, so we know being up in a series doesn’t guarantee you anything,” said Orpik, who said he got the wind knocked out of him on a hard hit from former teammate James Neal in the second period Saturday but did not suffer a head injury.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 03, 2018 23:37 UTC