Battle in the West

If you’re a Kings fan, is the glass half-full or half-empty? Entering tonight’s game, the Kings are in eighth place in the Western Conference. They’re only three points behind fourth-place Phoenix, but they’re also only four points ahead of 10th-place Dallas.

Today, I asked Terry Murray if, at this point in the season, he does a lot of “scoreboard-watching” with other games…

MURRAY: “I don’t watch the standings board every day. We have it posted in our players’ lounge. It’s up to date, up to the minute, every morning, but I don’t stand there and stare at it.”

Murray is, however, mindful that even a two-game losing streak can drop a team in the standings…

MURRAY: “It’s going to stay that way, very tight through to the end. There’s no question that five, six teams, at the end of the day, are going to be looking at the scoreboard with two games remaining in the schedule. That’s just the playing field that’s there in the NHL today, and it makes it exciting. It’s good for the fans, and it’s interesting to see how teams respond to it. How do you deal with that kind of, `Got to get the job done today’ attitude?

“We’re putting ourselves into a position where we have an opportunity to grow and learn the process, as you get older and more experienced as a team. I think the game against Detroit was a good example of it. You play well and you lose, but how do you bounce back in the game the next night? It comes down to an attitude, and pushing yourself through the adversity. That’s why I welcome adversity.”