"The Kings enter Sunday in fifth place in the Pacific Division and three points back of the Seattle Kraken for both fourth place in the division and the second wild card spot in the Western Conference."
"It's also noteworthy that the Kings made the blockbuster trade for Artemi Panarin just before the Olympic break, but then lost Kevin Fiala for the rest of the year during the Olympics and Andrei Kuzmenko for the foreseeable future to an injury this past week as games began again."
The Los Angeles Kings dismissed head coach Jim Hiller on Sunday, with D.J. Smith assuming interim head coach duties for the remainder of the season and Matt Greene joining as assistant coach. The Kings currently sit fifth in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Seattle Kraken for fourth place and the second wild card spot. The team acquired Artemi Panarin before the Olympic break but subsequently suffered significant losses, including Kevin Fiala's season-ending injury during the Olympics and Andrei Kuzmenko's recent injury. This coaching change occurs five days before the NHL Trade Deadline and during the final season of veteran Anže Kopitar's Hall of Fame career.
Read at Bleacher Nation
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