Los Angeles Kings Hang On For Last Night’s Win in Columbus

It came down to the wire, but the Los Angeles Kings were able to hang on to their lead and get a much-needed win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Kings were up 4-2 with two-minutes left in the third period when Columbus pulled goaltender Curtis McElhinney for an extra skater.

With 1:53 left in the game the Blue Jackets won a face-off back to the point. After moving the puck from point-to-point the puck came to David Savard who wristed a quick shot through traffic past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Quick never saw the shot.

The Kings were able to dump the puck out of the zone long enough for time to wind-down.

It was a good display of effort and resiliency by the Kings, who have struggled mightily on the road this year.

Jack Skille opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets, netting his 6th goal of the season 1:40 into the game.

Los Angeles Kings

Dwight King answered back for the Kings 32-seconds later, recording his 8th. Just after the 12-minute mark Tyler Toffoli netted his 15th of the season, with King getting an assist, giving the Kings a 2-1 lead to end the first period.

In the second period Blue Jackets forward Scott Hartnell scored his 13 goal of the year, which is the 263rd goal of his career. It was a significant goal for two reasons, last night was Hartnell’s 1,000th game in the NHL, and it tied the game.

Jeff Carter scored his 15th goal of the season 1:18 later to re-establish the Kings lead.

In the first two minutes of the third period Dustin Brown netted his 9th goal from Marian Gaborik and Brayden McNabb.

Jeff Carter and Dwight King had a big game for the Kings, each recording a goal and an assist. Their line, which included Tyler Toffoli were responsible for three of the Kings four goals. Combined the three players: Carter (77), King (74) and Toffoli (73) scored a total 5 points last night.

Commentator Jim Fox said, “we’re going to have to start referring to them as that new 70’s line,” during last night’s broadcast. The comment referred to the players numbers and the nickname, “That 70’s Line”, that was tacked on to the line of Carter, Toffoli, and injured Kings forward Tanner Pearson because of their success during the playoffs last year and earlier this season.

Feb 9, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) catches Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) in the face mask with his skate during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Los Angeles beat Columbus 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

Halfway through the game it looked like Quick’s number’s were, again, going to be poor. At that point in time he had allowed 2 goals on 11 shots for a .818 save percentage. The game was tied and the Kings were out shooting the Jackets 27-11.

After the Kings got the lead the Blue Jackets turned up their offensive effort. In the third period Quick faced 13 shots, as many as he had faced in the first two periods combined.

Each shot only counts as one in the stat columns, but their level of difficulty vary quit a bit. The Blue Jackets were creating a ton of traffic in front of the Quick.

At one point Columbus forward Nick Foligno got tangled up with Quick nearly kicking him in the face. When defensemen Matt Greene stepped in to protect his goaltender it created quite a scrum that almost broke out into a fight, but play continued and no penalties were assessed.

Feb 9, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) makes a pad save against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the third period at Nationwide Arena. Los Angeles beat Columbus 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

Quick made a couple of huge saves to keep the Kings in front at the end. One in particular was a sweeping, side to side robbery on a rebound opportunity by Brandon Dubinsky. Quick went from sliding across the crease to a split motion to kicking the rebound wide.

As the anchor and leader of the team it’s clear: how Quick responds is how the Kings respond. Quick resurgence in his last two performances have things looking up. If Quick is getting into a groove, a streak, or even a rhythm it’s good news for the Kings.

Last night’s game against Columbus ended a five-game road trip for the Kings. After starting the trip by losing three straight games the Kings have won their last two.

Perhaps things are looking up for L.A. hockey.

The Kings next game is back at Staples Center on Thursday night against the Calgary Flames. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PST.

Next: Do the Kings Deserve a Playoff Spot?

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Feb 9, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) looks to shoot against Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (32) during the second period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports