The Los Angeles Kings held off the San Jose Sharks to secure a vital 2-1 win in Game 7 in front of a raucous crowd at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
Justin Williams was the hero for the Kings, scoring two goals to lead them to the conference final where they await the winner of the Chicago-Detroit series.
Los Angeles has now won 14 consecutive games on home ice dating back to the regular season. Both teams looked tight in the first period and had to be content with a 0-0 scoreline heading into the intermission.
The deadlock was finally broken 4:11 into the second session when Williams jammed the puck past San Jose keeper Antii Niemi after a scramble at the side of the net.
It wasn’t a pretty goal but it was a huge one for the Kings who doubled their advantage less than three minutes later.
After San Jose had narrowly missed scoring to tie the game up, Slava Voynov led a furious rush, finding an open Williams whose one-timer beat Niemi.
Williams was delighted with his two-goal performance and admitted he could have scored more on the evening.
“I think I could have had three or four goals tonight,” he said. “I had quite a few opportunities. It’s funny how the puck comes to you a little bit more often sometimes in different games.
“I was happy to get two but it would have been nice to get a little bit more comfort.”
San Jose tried to drum up a rally in the final period, and Dan Boyle set up a tense finish when he beat Jonathan Quick at the 5:26 mark.
Joe Pavelski then had a glorious chance to send the game into overtime, but Quick made his best save of the night to preserve the win.
The Los Angeles Kings held off the San Jose Sharks to reach the Western Conference final where they will meet the winner of the Chicago-Detroit series.
