Mirror image?

When talking about the Kings yesterday, Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock referred to them as a “mirror image’’ of his club, in terms of system and playing style. One difference is in the standings of course, as the Blue Jackets are 4-1 to the Kings’ 4-3. Terry Murray was an assistant under Hitchcock for two full seasons in Philadelphia, and here’s how Murray compared the two teams…

MURRAY: “They’re doing it a little bit better than us, on the checking side of things. They went through a great growth spurt last year, in the second half and into the playoffs. That kind of experience is stuff you can talk about, but the players don’t quite get it. You have to go through it and live it, and they have an edge on that side of it.

“But our attitude is similar to theirs. We want to be a good checking team. We want to really be aggressive to the puck and, as a result, we have to believe that we can have the puck more often, generate more scoring chances because of that attitude, and then you’ll win because of it. But you have to play 60 minutes. When I watch their games, they’re playing a pretty consistent level of game now, and I think it’s because of their experience last year. That’s what we have to get to.’’