Case of the controversial clock: the plot thickens

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Another video clip has surfaced in the Twitterverse that seems to show the clock at Staples Center paused twice during the final seconds of a Kings game, a precursor to an incident that occurred late in the Kings’ 3-2 victory over Columbus on Wednesday and triggered an investigation by the NHL.

The clip above of a game played Jan. 21 appears to show the clock pausing twice in the last four seconds. It didn’t draw any attention at the time because nothing significant happened in those final seconds that required review, and the Kings lost to Colorado, 3-1.

Despite a pause of about a second on Wednesday, Drew Doughty’s goal Wednesday with 0.4 of a second showing on the clock was allowed to stand and gave the Kings a victory that could prove crucial in their playoff drive or in playoff seedings.

A league spokesman said Friday he had not been aware of the apparent Jan. 21 clock pauses and that he would forward the information to executives who are looking into what happened on Wednesday.

Colin Campbell, the NHL’s senior vice president of hockey operations, told The Times on Thursday that the league will look into mechanical and human error as possible causes of the problem in the Kings-Blue Jackets game.

-- Helene Elliott