Justin Williams scored two and narrowly missed netting three as the Kings moved past the Sharks 2-1 and on to the Western Conference finals.
“Sometimes you just get a few more opportunities than you usually get” said Williams after the game with a slight smile on his face.
“I certainly enjoy pressure situations I know everyone in this dressing room does.
“We pride ourselves as a team that when push comes to shove we are going to get it done. We’ve been through it before and we know we can get it done.”
In a three minute span in the second period the Kings lit the lamp twice which was all they needed as these two evenly matched teams played to another 2-1 finish. Dan Boyle scored the only San Jose goal in the third period.
William’s first goal was scored from behind the goal line while on the power play as he jammed in a loose puck. The Sharks goalie Antti Niemi was unable to close the gap while Brent Burns watched from the penalty box on a minor he took in front of the Kings net.
The Kings game winner was the result of a bad Sharks change which led to a 4 on 2 rush and Williams beat a stretched out Niemi from his off wing.
Coming into game 7 the Sharks had their work cut out for them with the home and road records that both teams have against each other. The home team has won 15 of the last 16 games these teams have played against each other dating back to last year.
On top of that Jonathan Quick is nearly unbeatable at the Staples Center boasting a .957 save percentage. He has been the team’s MVP once again in the post-season and we are only two rounds deep.
“You look around the league you are seeing a lot of 2-1 games” commented Quick after the win.
“It’s a tight league especially this time of year. It’s a great team that we were able to beat.”
If all that wasn’t enough for the Sharks to overcome the Kings have a man named Justin Williams on their roster who knows how to elevate his play in game sevens.
Williams is a two time Cup champion the first one came in 2006 with the Carolina Hurricanes and then last year with the Kings. In the four game sevens that Williams has played in he has scored five goals and four assists. Those are insane numbers and prove that he knows how to play in the clutch.
He isn’t the flashiest player out there and never seems to light it up during the regular season, but there is something about the playoffs that brings out the best in Williams. He is a responsible defensive player which is why he is out there in crucial situations.
One of the things that worked so well for San Jose this year has been team discipline and coming away with more power play opportunities than the opposition. In game seven on Tuesday night the Sharks took more minors than the Kings and the worst part of them were that three of them happened 200 feet from San Jose’s net.
The Sharks didn’t come away with the result they wanted, but they shouldn’t be labeled with the choke tag after an impressive series. San Jose pushed it to the distance and made things interesting in game seven by cutting the lead in half and creating scoring opportunities in the third period.
“I thought we played the third period that we needed, we just couldn’t get that extra one” is how Sharks coach Todd McLellan put it in the post-game press conference.
Joe Pavelski had the best chance for San Jose to tie the game but wasn’t able to raise the puck over a sprawling Jonathan Quick’s glove hand.
“Deep down we thought we were going to win” were Pavelski’s comments after the game.
“We never fell over against them, but they’re the champs for a reason. They play a sound game, they don’t beat themselves ever.”
The turning point on Tuesday night was the game winning goal which gave the Kings a 2-0 lead. The way the series had gone and with Quick’s numbers at home the comeback proved to be too much for the Sharks. The magic number for the Kings in the playoffs is two because they have won 22 straight games when they score two goals or more.
Contenders & Pretenders
Contenders
Justin Williams – tops the list for obvious reasons. The savvy veteran just keeps on winning and contributing in big games.
Jonathan Quick – continues his dominance in the post-season and will be a major headache for whatever team he faces going forward.
Slava Voynov – continues to excel in the playoffs with two assists and may be the King’s most underrated player.
Pretenders
Brent Burns – has to feel bad about taking a penalty 200 feet from his own net which the Kings scored on.
Sharks stars – all of the big names can take a piece of this list Tuesday night as they didn’t create enough scoring chances to beat the league’s hottest goalie, and when they did they were unable to capitalize.
Sharks discipline – was what it has been lately and tonight it hurt them. The Sharks are almost always on the power play more than their opponent and it has been working for them. Tonight in LA the Sharks took too many penalties.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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