The Blue Jackets headed into their game with the L.A. Kings tonight riding high after knocking off Anaheim last night. They wound up feeling frustrated after a missed opportunity.
Drew Doughty and Kyle Clifford scored goals for the Kings as they knocked off Columbus 2-1. Rookie Dalton Prout tallied his first NHL goal for the Jackets in a losing effort. 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick stopped 20 shots to earn the victory.
It’s a sore loss for Columbus as they could’ve tied Minnesota for seventh in the West with a win. Instead, they’ve got three games left to play and have both Detroit and Dallas nipping at their heels two points behind with two games in hand each.
Columbus’ three final games are on the road in San Jose and Dallas while closing at home vs. Nashville. That game with Dallas might just be a really big one for them.
To make the loss even harder to take, forward Matt Calvert broke his finger and, according to coach Todd Richards, will be “out a while.”