Dancing in the Reign: Bernier impresses yet again; Kings end skid in 2-0 victory

To say this victory was huge would be an understatement. Tonight’s shutout victory snapped a 4 game losing skid, and a 7 game losing streak to the Nashville Predators. Nashville, who has claimed themselves as a force in the Western Conference, was a crucial opponent for the Kings to beat. Tonight’s matchup turned into a goaltending battle. Both Jonathan Bernier and Pekka Rinne delivered impressive performances, but Bernier came out on top for his second consecutive NHL victory. The Kings remain in 7th place in the Western Conference with 92 points. You’ve got to believe we’ll see a boost in the confidence as the Kings are on home ice for their next two games. Tonight was a prime example of how well this young team is able to adapt to disappointment. You couldn’t ask for much more than what they showed on the ice tonight in Nashville. Solid effort all around. Below are my notes on the game:

Notes on the game:
– I’m usually harsh, but Randy Jones played well tonight. And the highlight of his play tonight resulted in the Kings first goal. Jones managed to skate the puck from the blue-line to low on the side-boards, showing great puck control and patience. There, he dumped the puck behind the net to Jeff Halpern, who then turned to find an open Scott Parse. With that goal, Parse recorded his third tally in two games.
– Not only did Sean O’Donnell score tonight, but he caused the turnover that lead to the goal, feeding what turned to be strong transition through the neutral zone. Once in the offensive zone, O’Donnel jumped on a rebound off an Alexander Frolov shot, made sure he had control of the puck, and scored on a quick release.
– There’s no question that I, and the rest of the Kings fan-base are impressed with the play of Jonathan Bernier. Bernier has two victories, stopping a respective 29 shots and 34 shots in each outing, allowing only one goal. Until updates on Erik Ersberg‘s back strain are released, you have to wonder if Bernier will be on the bench come the playoffs.