If Murray goes, list of possible replacements for LA Kings

When a tweet appears from a Hall of Fame hockey writer saying 'Kings may be preparing to fire Terry Murray as coach,' you click the link.

And according to a report filed with the LA Times by Helene Elliott and Lisa Dillman here late last night, that may be the course of action in progress at the moment.

Murray's Kings are one game above .500 and have lost four games in a row.

They're in Boston today, preparing for tomorrow night's game with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. Currently, it's not known if Murray will be behind the bench for that match-up.

If a move is made this week though, here's a quick look at some of the names that may replace him - starting with five known commodities (NHL and AHL coaches), followed by the five leading candidates from junior hockey and wrapping up with five candidates you may hear about - but aren't likely to get the gig.

NHL and AHL Coaches:

John Stevens - LA Kings assistant coach - he may be the short-term solution while a replacement is secured...however, he isn't considered to be a finalist for the job...Stevens is said to coach the same (or very similar) system to Murray and his results while leading the Flyers were mixed

Randy Carlyle - former Anaheim Ducks coach - he's available, due to recently being fired from the Kings Pacific Division rival...supposedly, his players tuned him out a long time ago and he is thought to be extremely hard on players (which may not be such a bad thing for the Kings right now)...his familiarity with the division could be a plus, but according to the Times' article, the 'Kings are not thought to be interested in Carlyle'

Craig MacTavish - another former NHL head coach (Edmonton), he's now coaching Chicago's AHL team...if there is one other team the Kings are most often linked to besides the Flyers, it's the Oilers...so, Mac T has that going for him...he knows several of the current Kings from their days in Edmonton...also another coach thought to be extremely hard on his players and not well liked

Occupy The Ponda - Kings at Ducks pregame primer

Divisional games in any sport are supposed to be close. So, last night's 2-1 win by the Kings in a shootout looks to fit the bill. However, it was probably a game where they gave the visiting Ducks a free point.

LA entered the third period up 1-0 on a goal by Mike Richards, who converted a Jack Johnson shot during a 5-on-3 power play.

With less than four minutes remaining in the game, Teemu Selanne tied things up. It was his 51st goal and 110th point (in 93 games) against the Kings, his personal best against NHL team.

Still, when things were over, Anaheim coach Randy Carlye acknowledged his team didn't play a full 60-minute game - "We didn’t really get our game going until the last half of the hockey game, then we played a lot more of the type of game that’s going to be required."

Bobby Ryan credited the Kings goaltending for shutting them down most of the game - "We had so many chances there and Quickie [Jonathan Quick] kept standing on his head and really sucking pucks in, not allowing any kind of rebounds in and chances for us all game."

Quick will start again tonight for the Kings, as they look to go up 2-0 in the Freeway Faceoff series. LA's only line-up change will be Brad Richardson replacing Trent Hunter.

After 103 games between the two cross town rivals, each side has 46 wins (there were 11 ties). Who will get to 47 first?

Quotes from Anaheim Ducks locker room after 2-1 LA win

There's no denying the Anaheim Ducks offense has been struggling.

Entering tonight's game with the Kings, they had averaged only 2.0 goals per game and 20 of their 34 goals had been scored by just four players (Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne).

After the Kings defeated the Ducks 2-1 in the shootout at Staples Center, here's some thoughts from the Anaheim dressing room...

COACH RANDY CARLYLE:

On the overall game - "The power play advantage was six to one at one point in the hockey game and usually when that happens you are going to be on the receiving end of the shot clock. We didn’t really get our game going until the last half of the hockey game, then we played a lot more of the type of game that’s going to be required."

Season Preview w/ Pierre LeBrun of ESPN / HNIC

So, you think you love the Kings?

Well, if you live in LA, you're thinking too small.

Pierre LeBrun is taking his admiration all across the U.S. and Canada via outlets like ESPN and the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.

The veteran hockey journalist has some serious love for the Kings this season and he's not shy about it. Even though he's a self-admitted metal head, due to his soft spot for John Mellencamp let's just say that what he's feeling for the Kings right now Hurts So Good.

Too cheesy? Fine!

In this exclusive MayorsManor interview he shares his opinions and discoveries from a recent trip through camps in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver. It's the latest in our Season Preview series - today we're joined by Pierre LeBrun...

MM: As you went on your training camp tour, what was the most surprising thing you observed with the Kings?