Mr. Game 7 is just the man to rally Caps

2:58 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Va. — This is the very moment for which the Washington Capitals pursued and signed Justin Williams last July 1.

For that moment in the playoffs when adversity once again stared the Capitals in the face, clouding their playoff path.

There he was Friday, oozing a calm confidence that a man with three Stanley Cup rings and a Conn Smythe Trophy on his resume could possess even with his team down 3-1 in their second-round series to the impressive Pittsburgh Penguins.

“Listen, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Williams told the assembled media after practice. “You have to win four. It doesn’t matter how you get there. It’s one game, it’s one shift, it’s one period, it’s everything at a time. And slowly you will build momentum and create doubt in their team. We have plenty of confidence in here.”

A three-time Stanley Cup champion, Justin Williams has played in seven playoff Game 7s, scoring seven goals, racking up 14 points — and winning them all. Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire

Well, Williams and Mike Richards have that confidence, having lifted Lord Stanley’s mug before, having survived a playoff series two years ago with the Los Angeles Kings in which they lost their opening three games in the first round before storming back to win four straight en route to another championship.

“You need guys who can settle it down, who can take charge, who can say the right things,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said on Friday. “Who can keep it loose instead of tight. And to back it up on the ice, too.

“Justin has done it. He has a good way about him. He’s respected on our team, for sure, and throughout the league. He’s been successful, and there’s a reason he’s been successful. He knows how to handle those situations.”

Just how much of that can rub off on the rest of the dressing room …

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