Blue Jackets Take One on the Chin to Beat Kings

Things just aren’t going well for your hockey team when an opponent scores a goal -- the game-winning goal, as it turns out -- off his chin.

That’s what happened to the slumping Kings on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena, where David Vyborny of the Columbus Blue Jackets gave new meaning to the schoolyard taunt, “In your face!” Utilizing his mug to redirect a caromed slap shot into the net, the winger helped the Blue Jackets to a 7-4 victory.

Vyborny, who has scored 15 goals by more conventional means this season, clutched his bleeding chin and skated straight to the dressing room afterward. Later, he needed several stitches to close the wound and was unavailable to talk.

“Oh, my God,” said defenseman Mike Weaver, pretty much summing up the Kings’ reaction after they had squandered a two-goal lead, given up two more power-play goals and watched their winless streak reach a season-high seven games.

Or, as Mattias Norstrom said, “When it rains, it pours.”

After giving up five power-play goals Tuesday in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, matching a club record for a King opponent, the Kings surged to a 3-1 first-period lead against the Blue Jackets but then seemed to inexplicably retreat, giving up five consecutive goals, the last two over a 14-second span.

They have been outscored during their recent slide, 33-15, and have given up 17 power-play goals. Pacific Division leaders as recently as last month, they’ve lost 12 of their last 15 games and fallen to eighth in the Western Conference.

Norstrom was unable to finish Tuesday’s game after suffering a cervical strain and sat out Wednesday, casting doubt over the Swedish defenseman’s availability for the Olympics. He’ll be reevaluated today.

“My focus is entirely here,” said Norstrom, saying his first priority was to be ready for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. “The Olympics is a fun event, but this is my team. This is where the headaches are right now.”

One more potential headache could be Sean Avery, who was a healthy scratch for the second night in a row and not happy about it, though the center suggested that his relationship with Coach Andy Murray had soured to the point that his benching hadn’t really caught him by surprise.

Still, “I think I’m too good of a player to be watching games, that’s for sure,” Avery said. “I think I’ve got too much to add to this team.”

Murray had explained the benching before Tuesday’s game by saying, “We’re playing the 20 players that give us the best chance to win.”

He said he had spoken to Avery but didn’t elaborate.

“He said that I’m not working hard enough, I need to be more consistent in my effort,” Avery said Wednesday. “I think I work pretty hard every night.”

Not even hard work could save the Kings on Wednesday.

On Vyborny’s goal, which gave the Blue Jackets a 5-3 lead with 9:43 to play, Weaver was positioned for punishment deep in the slot when defenseman Ron Hainsey of the Blue Jackets uncorked a slap shot from the point.

“I was just fronting him, hopefully trying to get a block,” Weaver said. “Actually, I got a pretty good piece of it off my foot and it was actually going over the net. But it hit the guy in the face ... and with our luck, it went into the net.”

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King-size swoon

With their 7-4 loss Wednesday at Columbus, the Kings have been outscored, 33-15, during an 0-5-2 skid.

*--* OPPONENT DATE SCORE at Columbus 2/8 7-4 at Minnesota 2/7 5-1 at Phoenix 2/2 2-1 (SO) at Ducks 1/30 4-3 (OT) Ducks 1/28 6-2 Edmonton 1/26 5-3 at San Jose 1/24 4-1

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