June 4 was the evening that Los Angeles probably sealed the deal. They didn't win the Cup, it is still too early for that, but they made a statement with a convincing 4 - 0 shutout.
For the fourth time this playoff season, the Kings have gone up 3 - 0 against their opponents. Their record is now 15 - 2. They are one game away from dancing with Lord Stanley.
The first two games of the series both went to overtime, ending by identical 2 - 1 scores. Two overtimes in a row is a first in NHL history. Tonight there was no need for overtime. The Kings took a 2 - 0 lead in the second period, and added another two goals on consecutive power plays in the third period.
The Devils are frustrated. Two OT losses. A first period in Game 3 with six power plays, and nothing to show for it. They are joining this year's elite club of the top three teams in the Western Conference, Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix. Over the past two months, all were steamrollered by the gang from Tinseltown.
Vancouver and Phoenix found a way to win their game fours, before bowing out in the fifth game. Can the Devils bounce back on Wednesday night and avoid the sweep? No matter what, the Stanley Cup will be in the house. And if the Devils do manage to win a game, the Cup will return to Newark on Saturday June 9.
Teams have come back from 0 - 3 deficits before, but it is rare. The Devils are in the hole and it sure looks like their hockey season is going to end soon. If they lose the next game, it will just be a mirror image of their first Stanley Cup final, in which the Detroit Red Wings were eliminated in four games.
Sweeps are part of the game, and the way Los Angeles is playing, nobody would be surprised. But, as they say in Philly (where a bunch of Kings players come from), it ain't over until the fat lady sings.
Hockey Rules!
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