Matt Murray has been a Kings fan since the late '80s, when Wayne Gretzky grabbed headlines by defecting to the West Coast. Since then, he has been a card-carrying bandwagon member as the club soared in popularity with their sole Stanley Cup appearance to their position near the bottom of the Pacific. But things are looking brighter, as he is anxious to witness the rise of the new Kings.
Jackets prevail, snap Kings win streak
I counted three Brown hits in his first shift. That's the sign of Dustin trying to fire up his club.
Stuart gets tripped by Peca, putting the Kings back on the PP. Nagy wins his fourth faceoff of the game, but the Kings can't hold it in. It seems the Blue Jackets play in the nuetral zone has stymied the Kings, as they can't skate in. Brown had a beautiful chance, when he directed an O'Sullivan pass into Norrena's pads. But he stops it, and the BJs kill the penalty.
O'Sullivan skates with the puck, and heads behind the net. The puck gets hit by a Blue Jacket, and the puck bounces up off the top of the goal. The puck winds up on Sully's stick, as he knocks it in unassisted for an amazing goal. The goal is reviewed, but it stands. One of the most amazing goals I've witnessed live.
The game is tied as the Kings suddenly have a second wind. They have outshot the the Blue Jackets thus far, and have shown signs of getting faster. But the Blue Jackets are looking feisty. They are putting the wood on every dark jersey they see.
Johnson almost turns it over deep in the Kings zone, but LaBarbera picks it up and sends it right back out to Jack. He feeds it to Armstrong immediately, and the Kings catch the Blue Jackets in a line change. Nagy skates it in and almost gets a clear backhand, but Norrena covers it up.
Columbus scores their fourth, as Peca scores his second of the game. And now the Jackets seem content with playing keep away from the Kings. The LAD line comes out with 3 minutes left, but fail to get anything started. Brown lines up one BJ in the corner, and almost hammers another, but wisely sidesteps away.
The Kings pull LaBarbera from the net, then Peca gets whistled for hitting the puck over the glass. So now, the Kings have a two-man advantage. After an exciting exchange, the Kings fail to put the biscuit in the basket. Columbus outlast the Kings in a hard-fought battle.
Third period: Blue Jackets 4, Kings 3
