The Key Three: March 26

Asked, after the game, if he could “grade’’ the Kings’ performance last night, Dustin Penner gave himself and his teammates a “B.’’ Good on Penner for giving the reporter a direct answer — most players probably would have given a general answer — but he was probably being a bit kind. The Kings, for the most part, didn’t play bad. In fact, it could be argued that their first-period power play marked their worst two minutes of the game. Despite coming three extremely hard-to-play games, they charged late, again, and came within a well-timed touch of tying the game a handful of times. But the Vancouver Canucks played better. The Canucks were faster to loose pucks, and the Kings didn’t get enough traffic in front of the net. That’s a bit understandable, given the number of highly physical games that the Kings have played of late, but it could also be a bad omen for the Kings.

There are still three games remaining on this road trip, with some rough travel, and if the Kings don’t win at least two of them, they’re going to be in scary territory in the playoff race. Last night, the Canucks did what they’re usually very good at: they got an early lead and sat on it. What was the key aspect of the Kings’ 1-0 loss to the Vancouver Canucks? I present three options at the link below, and you can vote for your choice…

The Key Three: March 26

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For those who enjoy the traditional game recap, it can be found by clicking here.