That year, though, with a resultant Game 7 on home ice at the RBC Center, none other than Williams buried an empty-netter to finalize a 3-1 victory and make the third closeout attempt the charm.
One round earlier, in another Game 7 at home versus Buffalo, Williams assisted on a pair of go-ahead goals, then buried an insurance strike to cement a 4-2 win. And still another round prior, he set up Cory Stillman’s eventual clincher to put away the New Jersey Devils.
But wait. There’s more.
The only other year other than 2006 and 2012 where Williams has seen playoff action beyond the first round was in 2003. That season, he charged up two assists and scored the deciding goal to help his Philadelphia Flyers vanquish Toronto 6-1 in Game 7 of the conference quarterfinals.
With that history, it is little surprise that Williams tallied L.A.’s lone goal as part of the Kings’ 2-1 loss on Saturday, their second failed attempt to wrest the Cup away from the current Devils. But they will need more of that poised production from him if they want to avert a historic collapse, which they still have two opportunities to prevent.
And there is more to it besides his own experience with clutch scoring and neutralizing seeds of doubt, particularly in the championship round.
As Williams goes, so go his first-line colleagues, Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Ditto for the Kings’ power play.
From the start of the opening round through last Monday’s 4-0 victory that sculpted a 3-0 lead in the finals, Williams has gone no more than two straigh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Kings
