The Kings will have their hands full when they begin their series Thursday night in San Jose to take on the Sharks. Every player in the lineup will have to step their game up if they want to move on to the NHL's Western Conference Semi-finals. Yet one King may have a larger impact on this series than any other: Justin Williams.
The Cobourg, Ontario native will be looked at to provide some offensive firepower for Coach Sutter's Kings, playing alongside the speedy Marian Gaborik and the big, strong Anze Kopitar (unless of course Sutter mixes up the line combinations). With a mere five points in his last seven games (1G, 4A, 2+/-), Williams will have to find another level to his game for the postseason. But if history is any indicator, Williams should have no problem doing this. In the 2012-2013 postseason, Williams was tied for the team lead in goals (6) and was fourth in total points (9). Through his NHL career, Williams has averaged .62 points per game in the postseason. One can only imagine that these totals can increase playing with Gaborik and Kopitar on the Kings top line.
A NHL veteran with his name etched onto Lord Stanley's cup twice, Williams knows what it takes to come out of a playoff series victorious. Williams has proven to be a valuable scorer in the clutch, as he notched 2 goals for the Kings in game 7 of the western conference semi-finals against these very same Sharks in the 2012-13 campaign.
In order for the Kings to swim out of the first round past their finned-foes to the North, they will need Justin Williams to spark the offense, that at times seemed lethargic during the regular season.