The Los Angeles Kings are defending Stanley Cup champions and now they are back in the conference finals after winning Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks at home on Tuesday night 2-1 to advance.
The team got two crucial goals from Justin Williams in the second period and after Dan Boyle scored one for the Sharks in the third, the team held on ahead of goalie Jonathan Quick and moved along to the West finals. The team needed a strong finish and 25 saves from Quick to do it and now the team has a chance to repeat as champions as they wait for the winner of the Detroit Red Wings-Chicago Blackhawks Game 7 Wednesday.
Antti Niemi had just 16 saves in the game and the Sharks ended another disappointing season without making it to the finals. Williams was the key for the Kings, as the Sharks were able to shut down top scorers Mike Richards and Jeff Carter and he was able to put in a huge power play goal to give the team the early lead and after adding another the Sharks couldn't come back.
The Kings will now wait for Detroit or Chicago, who will play on Wednesday night and LA showed why it was so good at home while winning all of those games. The Kings are the fifth seed this time around after being in eighth last year while winning the cup and the Sharks now have another season to wonder after making the playoffs for the ninth straight year. Boyle was the only offensive output for the Sharks and they were looking to make it to the conference finals for the third time in a four year span.
The Kings have been fantastic at home, winning eight straight games at the Staples Center since last year and after a tough series with the Sharks, LA knows it has another one ahead of it. If the Blackhawks win, the Kings will be the road team, but if the Red Wings win, the Kings will have the home ice advantage again, as they did in this series. The team rallied against the Blues despite not having it and now they are in a situation where they must wait and see.
The Kings got a win in their first home game 7 since back in the 1980s and Quick was one of the main reasons, as last year's Stanley Cup MVP made some crucial saves at the end. The Kings were able to score after a bad Sharks penalty and now they are ready to try and make another Cup run.
"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. ... We were just having so much fun. It's disappointing that it has to end, because we were really enjoying this. It's a tough way to finish."