ANAHEIM, Calif. - A Blue Jackets season that many consider over has one month remaining.

The team's top two leaders said yesterday that the final 15 games cannot pass without a sense of relevance and pride.

With fan unrest growing and the Jackets reeling from a 6-0 loss Monday in Los Angeles, Rick Nash and R.J. Umberger said they are taking it upon themselves to promote the importance of the season's final weeks regardless of the standings.

"Guys are playing for a lot of different reasons, but I've got to make sure these guys are playing for the pride of the city," said Nash, the team captain. "They can't just worry about personal stats and that. We are trying to build a fan base and maintain a fan base, and to do that we need them excite them. I've got to get that point across to the team."

Nash sat out last night's game against the Anaheim Ducks because of a lower-body injury but hopes to return within the next few days. He said he planned to address the team, which had lost five straight games and was embarrassed in Los Angeles.

A club projected to build on its first playoff appearance had fewer shots (five) than the Kings had goals with 16 minutes remaining.

The outcome Saturday in San Jose could have been similar had it not been for the goaltending of Steve Mason, who stopped 42 shots in a 2-1 loss. The Jackets had a combined 33 shots in the first two games of the West Coast trip.

The games could get worse if the players don't demand accountability from one another, Nash said. It's a lineup, minus its three recent minor-league call-ups, that has nobody playing for a contract.

"The guys who are here long-term are the guys who have to stand up right now," said Nash, whose leadership qualities have been questioned by critics. "Those guys have to be committed to the city and committed to the team. Guys like myself and others have to stand up and say it's unacceptable for games like (Monday's) to happen.

"I've got to be the first one to stand up and say something in these situations."

The Jackets are one of the league's most disappointing teams given their preseason billing. They sit 14th in the Western Conference and could easily finish among the NHL's bottom three teams.

Some fans might think "earning" a top-three draft pick supplies the only intrigue remaining in the season. Umberger does not share the sentiment.

"We're at an important line here," he said. "We don't want to get in the habit of losing. That's an important thing here, especially with our young guys who are the future. Once you start losing, and then you think it's OK, then you have a problem."

He was part of a Philadelphia club that went from 30th overall in 2006-07 to the Eastern Conference finals one season later.

Umberger, an alternate captain, is embracing his leadership role.

"There is great potential in this locker room," he said. "I know it's been a tough year for fans watching, and I know they feel like we're going back to the past, but that's one of the reasons I am here. I want to change that kind of culture. There are guys that don't want that lingering in here.

"That's why this next month is very important. If we get beat and the other team is better, we can live with that. But you cannot accept losing. We can't have it in this room."

treed@dispatch.com