The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks 2-1 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.The defending Champions won all four home games in the series and will now await their third round opponent.
The Sharks and Kings battled to a tentative 0-0 draw in the opening 20 minutes; the Sharks outshot San Jose 5-3 in the first period. The Kings eventually broke through on the powerplay in the second period. A point shot from Slava Voynov went wide of the net. However, Justin Williams threw it at the goal and hacked away until it slid through goalie Antti Niemi. The puck managed to cross the line before being shot away by a Sharks defenseman. The referee behind the net deemed it a good goal. Less than three minutes later, Williams added his second goal on a rush up the ice. Voynov threw a blind pass to a streaking Anze Kopitar. The center found Williams on the left wing and fed him the puck; Williams took some space and quickly fired the puck past Niemi to give Los Angeles a 2-0 lead. Williams almost completed the hat trick on an ensuing powerplay, but Niemi made a tremendous save on the shot.
The Sharks came out intent on making the comeback and dominated possession during the early moments of the third. Despite their dominance, the Kings had the better chances, including a breakaway from winger Jeff Carter that was stopped by Niemi. They eventually broke through Kings Goalie Jonathan Quick at the 5:26 mark when defenseman Dan Boyle fired a long-range shot into the net. Joe Pavelski had a prime opportunity to tie the game minutes later as he caught Quick sprawled on the ice and out of position. Pavelski controlled the puck on the right side of net and fired it at the goal; however Quick somehow managed to catch the shot in his glove.
The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks will contest Game 7 on Wednesday; the winner of that match will play the Kings.
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