Written by Stephen Whyno at Washington Post.com
When the Los Angeles Kings blew two chances to win the Stanley Cup in 2012, the pressure was on going into Game 6 back at home. Justin Williams gave a pregame speech that defenseman Drew Doughty said he’ll never forget.
It’s such a legendary tale that Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz has heard all about it.
“Justin just started chuckling when it was pretty tense,” Trotz said. “Everybody looked at him and (he) just said, ‘I’m going to enjoy celebrating a Cup with you guys tonight.’ Sometimes that’s very powerful. It’s not a big speech. It’s knowing the moment.”
Few players know and seize the moment like Williams, a three-time Cup winner and the playoff MVP in 2014. His 0.73 points a game when his team is facing elimination are the third best in NHL history.
The Capitals saw some of the best of Williams on Saturday in Game 5 when he scored a goal as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 to stay alive. The 34-year-old right wing who had struggled to produce this postseason will be leaned on again Tuesday in Game 6 as Washington tries to push the second-round series to the limit.
“That’s a lot of pressure, to come in and have everybody think that you’re the guy that gets us over the hump that we’ve had,” Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner said. “I couldn’t imagine having that pressure. I think that everyone around the league knows that.”
Williams has quite the reputation for performing in the playoffs, earning the nickname “Mr. Game 7” for his seven goals, seven assists and 7-0 record in the seventh game of a series. He also has 13 goals and 11 assists in 18 elimination games.
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