Williams: Attitude, chemistry key in Game 7 success

Justin Williams has earned plenty of attention over the last two postseasons by virtue of his consistent and remarkable production in Game 7s, in which he has totaled five goals and 10 points in five games.

He was 21 years old when he posted a goal and two assists and was named the first star in helping Philadelphia reach the second round in a 6-1 win over Toronto on April 22, 2003. With another goal and two assists on June 1, 2006, he led Carolina to a 4-2 win over Buffalo in the Eastern Conference Final. He followed that up 18 days later with a Stanley Cup-clinching Game 7 empty net goal in a 3-1 win over Edmonton. Last year, he potted a pair of second period goals in a 2-1 squeaker over San Jose and recorded an assist on Anze Kopitar’s forehand-backhand game winner in San Jose on April 30.

“I say every playoff series and ever playoff game has its own subtitles. It’s its own entity and there are different story lines to everything,” Williams said. “I’ve been behind in a Game 7 and I’ve been ahead in a Game 7. I’ve been behind going into the third period in a Game 7. I hope to get the first goal tomorrow, but if we don’t, then no big deal. We’ll write a different story.”

Along with Marian Gaborik and Mike Richards, Williams is one of three Kings to have posted a 5-0 record in Game 7s. Willie Mitchell and Jeff Carter are 3-0 all-time in Game 7s, while 10 Kings have a 2-0 Game 7 record.

The only Kings to have lost Game 7s are Matt Greene (2-1), Jarret Stoll (1-1), Robyn Regehr (3-3) and Jeff Schultz (1-2).

Is there some encompassing characteristic of teams that have had a great deal of success when one game decides a team’s fortune?

“I think it comes with the attitude of the players and just the chemistry and I guess the makeup of the team that makes you believe that you can win,” Williams said. “There is nothing else around. It’s an attitude within a person. You don’t shrivel when push comes to shove. You want to get your peacock feathers out and you want to prove that you can do it and you want to have the puck on your stick while you do it.”

Justin Williams, on whether the team has a different feel since winning the cup:
Sure, you went to the top of the mountain. You have that inner arrogance that you know what it takes to win. That’s something that not a lot of other teams have. It’s something that we need to harness tomorrow and believe.

Williams, on the expected Anaheim effort in Game 7:
Every team tries to come out hard every game. You anticipate that, you prepare for it. At the same time, you worry about yourself and let them worry about how hard we’re going to come.

Williams, on Jonathan Quick’s mood before a Game 7:
He was wearing a tank top to the rink today, so I think he’s pretty relaxed. [Reporter: You’re not like afraid to get within five feet of him are you?] No, not at all. I drive to the games with Quickie and we have our stupid little superstitions that we do within ourselves. I’ll drive if we won, continue driving if we win. Every player kind of has those stupid things that you change up that really should be the difference in the series. [Reporter: Do you take the same route?] Yeah, we’ll take the same route too.

Williams, on managing the excitement for Game 7:
You get here for a reason. You get hear because you’re instincts usually are right. You just get out there and don’t worry about it. You let your instincts take over and hope that’s enough to propel you to a win. That has recently and I expect it to tomorrow.

Williams, on the Boston-Montreal and Los Angeles-Phoenix handshake lines, and the heightened emotion immediately after a team is eliminated:
I haven’t quite experienced anything bad when I’ve been shaking hands. It’s emotional right after the game. You battled hard and one season’s over and one continues. There is a lot of emotion. For the most part, guys understand that everyone just wants to win. You might do something or say something that you regret, but at the end of the day you look at the other team and I’m sure there are no hard feelings on little things like that. You shake hands and you move on. You say good job. I want to be on the winning end of it tomorrow.

Williams, on pretending like it’s Game 7 when he was a kid:
Of course it’s Game 7 and it’s usually the Stanley Cup Final too. It’s the same thing with any other sport. It’s the last second of the game and buzzer is coming down -it’ the ninth innings, two outs, football game, fourth quarter or last play. It’s everything. It’s you or them and this is what you relish as a kid, coming out on top. [Reporter: Does that make you prepared for Game 7 as an adult?] I don’t think you can really prepare much for this. You just go out and trust your instincts. Hopefully they’ll bring you to success.

Williams, on feeling better at the end of the series because of a lack of travel:
I don’t know if I feel any fresher at all. I feel like it’s a playoff series. It’s tough. We played six and seven last year in the first two rounds. We’ll play seven and seven this year. Whatever happens happens. But I’ve still stayed in quite a few hotels though.

Recommended reading: Game 7 Will