It's been a tough year for Drew Doughty. His Los Angeles Kings have had a steep fall from grace and are poised to finish this season as the league's second-worst team. On top of that, the defenseman is having a down year in terms of his on-ice performance. 

Those frustrations can add up over the course of a long season, and Doughty may have let them boil over this week when he was agitated by a familiar foe. 

The Kings took on the Flames in Calgary on Monday night, which meant another meeting between Doughty and Matthew Tkachuk, the 21-year-old Flames forward who has made a habit of getting under Doughty's skin since entering the league three years ago. It didn't take long to realize that Tkachuk still occupies space in Doughty's head.

Before the game even started, it became clear that Doughty was still bothered by his history with Tkachuk.

The personal rivalry goes back to 2017 when Tkachuk, then just a rookie, delivered a brutal elbow to Doughty's face. The Kings defenseman took major exception to the dirty play -- for good reason -- and hasn't been able to let it go ever since. Each time the two sides meet, it seems another nasty chapter is added to the rivalry. This week was no exception. 

 It took until the third period for Tkachuk and Doughty to get into a confrontation but, alas, it happened. Because of course it did.

Once again, Doughty allowed Tkachuk to get under his skin. The Flames youngster gave Doughty a little slash to the legs and successfully baited the defenseman into retaliating with a more aggressive slash. As is often the case, it was the retaliation that was penalized while the original transgression went uncalled.

It was just another example of why Tkachuk has a well-earned reputation of being one of the league's most effective turd-stirring pests so early in his career. He's also a point-per-game player, so that's pretty nice too. 

And if for some reason you thought Tkachuk might be concerned about Doughty's feelings, well... think again.

Tkachuk wasn't the only subject of Doughty's frustrations on Monday, either. The former Norris-winner decided to go in on San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns during his pregame session with the media as well, taking a shot at Burns' ability to play the position at his own end of the ice while praising the work of Flames' blue liner Mark Giordano. 

It feels safe to say that Doughty has let a frustrating season get the best of him and he wasn't in a particularly good mood ahead of Monday's matchup with Calgary. He might need a nap. Or the offseason.