Gagne back to top form so far

Simon Gagne was kept off the score sheet last night, and had his four-game point streak snapped, but so far, Gagne has justified the two-year, $7-million contract he signed with the Kings in July. Gagne is a two-time 40-goal scorer who has missed at least 19 games due to injuries in three of the past four seasons. Terry Murray knows what Gagne can do, as Murray was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Flyers during both of Gagne’s 40-goal seasons…

MURRAY: “There’s no surprises from Gagne’s game. He’s a very complete player. When things are going the right way, through his hard work and focus and execution, his game is a world-class game. Whether you’re looking at play without the puck, which is the reason why, as you go back through his early years, that he was making Team Canada in the Olympics, it was because of his intelligence and staying above the puck and making good decisions. When I saw him play a bunch of years ago with Peter Forsberg, one of the premier centermen who ever played the game, and the way they developed the chemistry and the finish that they showed, the goals that were scored were spectacular, at critical times. So none of his game surprises me. It’s what I expect, it’s what we need and I think he’s getting very close to the kind of player that I remember him as.’’