Tied at three and headed to overtime tied at three, the Washington Capitals had already squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-2 and the Carolina Hurricanes had visions of a tied series in their heads. Then on a slapshot from the left face-off circle, Brooks Orpik scored top-shelf to give the Capitals a 4-3 win and a 2-0 series lead. Seriously. That Brooks Orpik.
Here’s how it happened:
The scoring started by the Capitals early on, who looked like they’d put the game out of reach in the first period. Alex Ovechkin came roaring down the right wing and, when it appeared he’d shoot, fired a quick pass to Nicklas Backstrom who tucked it in the left post for his third of the playoffs to give the Caps a 1-0 lead in the opening minutes.