Into the fire

Justin Williams will be headed to the NHL playoffs for the fourth time in his 10-year NHL career, and he fills an important role. Not only is Williams the Kings’ first-line right-winger, but he’s also the linemate of leading scorer Anze Kopitar, who has never appeared in a playoff game. Williams’ veteran presence — he won the Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006 — will no doubt help Kopitar. I asked Williams if, given the number of players on the Kings’ roster without playoff experience, whether it was beneficial or harmful to go into such an intense environment (Vancouver) for the first playoff game…

WILLIAMS: “It’s never a bad thing to be in a playoff game. It goes without saying that we have a lot of first-timers. I remember playing Montreal my first time in the playoffs (in 2006). Going in and playing (Vancouver), it’s going to be the same type of atmosphere. It’s just going to be loud and intense. We have a lot of guys who want to make a playoff name for themselves, and they’re on the verge of doing that. We have a lot of guys who want to make that step to becoming a playoff performer. We have a lot of guys who haven’t been there before but know they can do it. I think that will be great for us.”

Question: In your first playoff game, how long did it take before you stopped looking around and thinking about where you were?

WILLIAMS: “Nah, you don’t look around in the playoffs. You’re just so in-tune to the game. With the fans yelling, being as loud as they’re going to be, it makes you that much more into it. That’s what makes the playoffs more intense, is that everybody is focused. Nobody is just hanging on. Everyone is into it. Everyone is talking and chirping, and everyone is slashing the other guy, trying to get a little advantage of someone. We have a maximum of seven games against these guys, so it’s a long haul but it’s fun.”