In Los Angeles Thursday, the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied from a second period effort that saw them without a shot in the middle frame.
Gregory Campbell scored midway through the third to give the Jackets a seemingly improbable win over the Kings, 3-2.
“[Coach John Tortorella] came in and was really good,” the Jackets Nick Foligno said. “He kind of settled us down. I think our emotions got the best of us. Some heated play was going on, and I think he got our minds back on the game and said ‘We’ve got [20] minutes to find a way to get this.’ I thought the guys really re-focused.”
Jonathan Quick made 22 saves in the loss.
Jeff Carter scored late to make the score close but it wasn’t enough for the Kings to build off the defensive effort in the second.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves for Columbus in the win.
“I liked the spirit of the team,” Tortorella said. “They fought for one another. When someone was in trouble they jumped in. We were getting to their blue [line]. In the third period I thought we defended well and battled. Teams bumped up. In that type of game you’re going to get bumped up, but it’s satisfying because I thought they played the right way. It’s the beginning of an identity.”
Anze Kopitar had the Kings’ first goal.
“When you hold a team to eight shots in the first two periods and you’re still down, I think you’re not doing a good enough job in the scoring areas and bearing down when you get them,” forward Milan Lucic said. “It definitely wasn’t our best effort from how we’ve been playing as late, so hopefully we can learn from something like this.”
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