Game 29: Bruins 3, Kings 0

The Good

• Tuuuuuuuuuuukka Rask was excellent tonight, as he has been for the majority of this season. A 41-save shutout is a big accomplishment, and Rask made it look pretty easy. He was extremely well-positioned all night, and rarely found himself scrambling around the crease. He may have benefited from one or two King blunders, but for the most part, Rask was fantastic.
• Brat Trick Brad Marchand was great last night as well, with two goals and more than a few chances at a third. He wasn't agitating much last night and avoided dumb penalties, which is good. All in all, a great game for 63. I'm guessing performances like this are what Claude Julien was referring to as "good brat."
• Hamill time! I'm a noted Zach Hamill defender, but I think even Hamill Haters would have to admit that the kid has looked pretty good this season. Hamill had an assist and was a +1 last night, while also adding two blocked shots. In his three games this season, Hamill has yet to be a "minus" player: his stat line reads 2A-2PTS and +4. Hamill may be starting to "get it." Here's to hoping the kid gets a chance to really take off.
  

The Bad

• The Kings Your coach gets fired, your GM rips you...and you respond by getting shutout 3-0? I know the Bruins are a good team and Rask played great, but there was very little desperation or urgency shown by the Kings last night. If I'm a Kings fan, last night's game concerns me greatly. Losing isn't the worst thing in the world; losing without any fight is usually a sign of a deeper problem.
• Kampfer To be honest, "bad" is a bit harsh. But I don't have a section called "The Shaky," so Steve-o goes down here. Kampfer was a plus-2, but he also took two penalties and only played around ten minutes. Kampfer only had three more seconds of TOI than Zach Hamill, a forward, as Julien leaned heavily on Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, and Andrew Ference. Kampfer will be out as soon as Zdeno Chara is ready, but he'll get another shot eventually. He's got to simplify his game, move past the mistakes he makes, and tighten up defensively, or he's not going to get more than those nine minutes. He's rusty and was playing on the off-side last night, so I think he'll get better. He just needs to get his confidence up.
  

What went right:

• Faceoff wins and forechecking were the keys to the Bruin goals last night. The first came when Rich Peverley collected a King miscue in the neutral zone; the second came directly off of a faceoff win; and the third came shortly after another offensive zone faceoff win. Winning faceoffs and controlling possession go a long way towards winning a hockey game. Throw in a solid forecheck, and you're going to have a good night like the B's did last night.
  

Attaboy: Tuukka. Good for him for earning the shutout.

Providence shuttle: The entire Kings team. Let the Monarchs come down from Manchester and play, they'd probably try harder.