LOS ANGELES — For a team that has been to the summit, the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings have managed to conquer quite an assortment of new challenges this postseason.

On Tuesday, they won Game 7, 2-1, over the San Jose Sharks to advance to the Western Conference finals. Last year, the Kings did not reach a Game 7 in any of their four series. Similarly, they did not experience a series deficit like the 2-0 hole they climbed out of in the first round against the St. Louis Blues.

“All the games have been very close,” the captain Dustin Brown said. “It’s a completely different year, but at the same time our team is very similar and we can win a lot of different ways. We can grind it out and find different guys at different times.”

For 14 of their 20 dressed players, including 12 homegrown products, it was the first Game 7 of their careers. Fortunately for the Kings, wing Justin Williams had experience to spare.