Los Angeles Kings advance to Conference Finals, down San Jose Sharks 2-1 – NHL Playoffs Update
The Los Angeles Kings were pumped up to be back at home for Game 7 and ready to move on, proving that they are indeed the defending champions. The Kings edged San Jose Sharks, 2-1, at the STAPLES Center as Justin Williams took centre stage, allowing Los
Angeles to advance to the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Playoffs Western Conference Finals.
Williams certainly showed that he is one of the few players in the league that can play under highly pressurised situations, which will be a major advantage when Los Angeles goes up against either the Chicago Blackhawks or Detroit Red Wings in the conference
finals.
“I certainly enjoy pressure situations,” said Williams. “I know everyone in this dressing room does. We pride ourselves on being a team that, push comes to shove, we're going to get it done. We've been through it before, and we know we can do it.”
After a scoreless opening period, Williams got into the mood and scored two back-to-back goalies just 2:57 apart to seal the deal for Los Angeles. His first was at 4:11 when Brent Burns was called for a minor penalty, giving Los Angeles a highly valued added
man advantage. The second came on an assist from Anze Kopitar.
The third period was intense as San Jose got their first of the night through Dan Boyle with a little over 14 minutes left to play, giving them ample time to at least tie up the score, but Jonathan Quick did not let anything by him for the remainder of the
matchup.
“We thought we could come in here and steal a game,” Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. “We played our hearts out, and that's all you can ask of each other. We had to lay it on the line in the third, and I thought we did. Jonathan Quick is just a fantastic
goalie.”
The Kings also showed that having the most attempts does not matter in such situations as they were outshot by San Jose, 26-18, throughout the matchup.
Los Angeles will know who they face in the Western Conference Finals as Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will go at it for the last time in Game 7 on Wednesday.
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