“It’s tough to come back from a long break like that and get a win. Mentally, it was good for us to kind of get away, but it’s hard to get back for that first game. We did an all right job in the first period, and we were a little slow in the second and third. But we got that first win and it’s a huge momentum going on this road trip.’’
The Kings also got goals from Dustin Penner and Justin Williams to win their second straight. Jonathan Quick, the lone King to play in last weekend’s All-Star game, picked up where he left off before the break, making 20 saves for his 22nd victory.
“After the extended break, the mentality in the dressing room was to throttle down right away,’’ Williams said. “Our legs were pretty good. We had a couple good days of practice, and we had some good jump.’’
The Kings have won eight of their last 10 games against the Blue Jackets, who always seem to give them fits despite being the worst team in the NHL.
“I don’t know what the reason is,’’ Doughty said. “Maybe we take them too lightly going into the game. But we got the win, even though we didn’t play our best, and that’s a good thing. So we have a lot to look forward to when we do play our best.’’
With Samuel Pahlsson off for holding, the Kings went on the power play in the waning minutes. They appeared headed to overtime until Doughty controlled the loose puck and scored in front of the net, a rare third-period goal for the Kings, who have 33 this season.
“It was a great job on the power play, and the key to our success was getting those two on the power play,’’ Doughty said, “and the penalty-killing was great, too.’’
The Blue Jackets complained that the clock briefly stopped with 1.8 seconds to go before it continued.
“It’s tough for them to lose, so making excuses is normal,’’ Doughty said. “But luckily there was enough time on the clock, and it counted.’’
Blue Jackets interim coach Todd Richards couldn’t cite an official report, but he had his doubts about the clock.
