By MARK DIVVER
Assistant Sports Editor
PROVIDENCE -- Since losing the opener, the Providence Bruins have ripped off six straight playoff wins heading into Game 3 of the Atlantic Division finals Friday night against Worcester.
There are many reasons for the streak -- timely scoring, solid defense, strong special teams, overall team discipline -- but there's no question the team's backbone has been 22-year-old top goalie prospect Tuukka Rask.
The second-year pro has the best stats in the league for goalies who have started the majority of their teams' games: a 1.41 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and a 6-1 record.
For the P-Bruins, it's a welcome change from last spring.
After running away from the rest of the league with 117 points in 2007-08, Providence beat Manchester in the first round, then jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Portland. But the Pirates roared back with four straight wins and, along the way, Rask was beaten on some soft goals.
Coach Rob Murray said that the long season and the first-round playoff elimination of the Boston Bruins last spring may have taken a toll on Rask.
"Last year the Boston Bruins were out by this point. He was a first-year player. It was a long season for him and it was tough, maybe he lost his focus a little bit. (This season) he knows, as long as the big team is playing, there's a chance that, as long as he's playing well, if something happens up there, he's gotta stay sharp, he's gotta be at the top of his game.''
Maturity has been a factor, too.
"He's really taken ownership of the team this year. He believes that he's a driving force, he's a leader on this team. I asked him to do that before the season started. I sat down with him and explained that this is what we're looking for from him, and he's really stepped up,'' said Murray.
"It comes with experience. He learned from last year. He doesn't want to be known as a guy that maybe can't play in the big situations. I think he's really brought his game up.''
Back to the Dunk
Providence can take a stranglehold on the series with a win Friday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center.
Murray is ready for another tough game.
"You can expect that they'll be a very desperate team. We've got to be prepared and ready to go, and take advantage of the opportunity we've given ourselves. This series is long from over and we've got to approach it that way.''
Rest for the weary
Assistant coach Bruce Cassidy ran Thursday morning's optional skate at the Dunk. Some of the veterans who saw a lot of ice time Wednesday night -- Rask, Martin St. Pierre, Johnny Boychuk, Peter Schaefer, Ryan Stokes -- took the opportunity to sleep in. "We got enough practice last week,'' said Murray, referring to the eight days between Games 1 and 2.
No target on Rask
Worcester's Riley Armstrong was called for interference after a collision with Rask in the second period. Murray said he did not believe that the Sharks were targeting the star goalie. "It was a nothing call. Armstrong kind of bumped him going through on a forecheck. I didn't feel they were going at him.''
Boychuk's bomb
Five seconds after Armstrong's penalty, Worcester's Mike Moore was penalized for shooting the puck in the crowd. The P-Bruins made quick work of the ensuing five-on-three and never trailed after Boychuk's power-play goal. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette's peerless Bill Ballou described Boychuk's 45-footer as "a 300-mph slap shot, give or take 200 mph.'' Boychuk had eight shots on goal in the game. No other player on either team had more than three.
Kill or be killed
Special teams have been a strong point for Providence.
The power play is sixth in the league at 18 percent (5 for 27), while the penalty kill is second at 92 percent (23 for 25).
"The penalty kill was a real key to our success against Portland. Those guys like (Mathieu) Darche, (Tim) Kennedy, (Nathan) Gerbe, (Mark) Mancari live off the power play. It's a lot of things: sacrifice, blocking shots, good goaltending. Staying out of the box helps a lot, too.
"(Wednesday) night we only had one penalty against and realistically I don't know that we deserved any more than the one. Playing a disciplined game has helped. When you're not continuously killing penalties, you're not taxing four or five guys the whole night long,'' said Murray.
"Our power play, we've gotten some timely goals. At the end of the season we were really struggling on it , but we're effective enough now where we're getting some goals. (Wednesday) night, five on three, ... we did a good job. We got the shot we wanted and we capitalized on it.''
No message
The Bruins and Sharks combined for 78 penalty minutes in the final 60 seconds of Game 2. When asked if he thought Worcester was trying to set a tone for the next game, Murray quickly replied, "No, I don't.''
"I think what happened was (Worcester's Frazer) McLaren lined up with Kirk MacDonald. I don't want to say (MacDonald) initiated it, but he was a willing participant. And then as the whistle was blown because of MacDonald and McLaren fighting, (Brendan) Buckley was on the rush and he kind of bumped Tuukka down the ice and it became a scrum. ... As far as sending a message, it could have escalated but it didn't. Just a lot of chatter.''
Lehtonen struggles
Providence's Mikko Lehtonen, the regular-season goal leader with 29, hasn't scored a goal in the playoffs.
"To put it politely, he's got to elevate his game. It's the playoffs. It's tougher now, it's more physical. He's got to find a way to be more productive for us,'' said Murray. "I don't think he's playing poorly. He hasn't been contributing the way he did consistently throughout the season, so it kind of throws up a red flag. But I've got confidence that he will.
Lehtonon's linemates Zach Hamill and Peter Schaefer aren't lighting it up either. Hamill is pointless, while Schaefer has one goal.
"Peter Schaefer is playing well, but Ham doesn't have a point in the playoffs. These guys have got to find a way to start contributing. I think it's no more than just elevating your game. It's that time of year.''
Attendance woes
With the Boston Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox all on TV Wednesday night, Game 2 drew a disappointing 1,419 in Worcester. Unfortunately for the P-Bruins, the TV lineup is the same Friday night.
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