Darryl Sutter

Kings tonight At TORONTO When: 4 PST. Where: Air Canada Centre. On the air: TV: FS West; Radio: 1150. Records: Kings 14-14-4, Maple Leafs 16-13-3. Update: This is the finale of a four-game trip and the end of John Stevens' tenure as interim coach. Darryl Sutter will take over from Stevens, who is 1-2 since replacing Terry Murray, who was fired. Stevens will remain on Sutter's staff. The Kings have lost six of their last seven games and have scored two goals or less in each of their last 11. Their power play is 0 for 18 over the last six games, but Toronto's penalty killing (73.2%)

Kings center Jarret Stoll took a hard hit from San Jose left winger Raffi Torres near the end of the second period of L.A.'s 2-0 victory over the Sharks on Tuesday night in Game 1 of their NHL playoff series. Stoll was injured and sat out the third period. Coach Darryl Sutter had no comment on the play but said of Stoll: "We weren't resting him and he didn't come back. " Torres was sent off the ice for charging. The NHL is expected to announce Wednesday whether it will hold a hearing to determine whether Torres should be fined or suspended for the hit. No question how Sharks Coach Todd McLellan would rule if he were in charge.

  Join Times Kings writer Lisa Dillman and Ducks writer Lance Pugmire today at 11:30 a.m. for a live discussion about the two local hockey teams, and the NHL in general. You will be able to submit question during the chat that our reporters can answer. Sure to be a topic are possible trades either team could make in the upcoming weeks. As Dillman wrote earlier this week , "Kings Coach Darryl Sutter called out his young defense following Wednesday's practice and General Manager Dean Lombardi made his second trade since the lockout ended, sending the once-promising Andrei Loktionov to New Jersey for a fifth-round draft pick in 2013.

Eric Daze and Jon Klemm each had a goal and two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks extended their unbeaten streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday at Chicago. Kyle Calder and Alex Zhamnov also scored for Chicago, which improved to 4-0-1 at home. Patrick Marleau and Todd Harvey scored in the third period for San Jose, which has won one of its last six.

It took less than a month for Darryl Sutter to find a new team. Sutter was hired as coach of the Calgary Flames on Saturday and will make his debut tonight against the Mighty Ducks. He was fired by the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 1 after an 8-12-2-2 start. "It's a thrill, it gives me shivers," Sutter said. Calgary fired Greg Gilbert on Dec. 3. Gilbert was in his second full season as coach after taking over the team in March 2001, when Don Hay was fired.

Calgary Flame Coach Darryl Sutter, having lost forward Ville Nieminen to a one-game suspension, insinuated that NHL officials are trying to make it difficult for his team to win the Stanley Cup. Nieminen will not play against Tampa Bay in Game 5 tonight for having slammed Vincent Lecavalier into the glass during Game 4 on Monday. Sutter, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, was ready to indulge in conspiracy theories.

Calgary Coach Darryl Sutter didn't back down, but neither did he offer much comment about the furor caused by his statements Wednesday that the NHL was trying to sabotage his team's chances of winning the Stanley Cup. Sutter's comments came after the NHL had suspended Flame forward Ville Nieminen for a hit on Vincent Lecavalier in Game 4 on Monday. Sutter said no one wanted to see his team in the finals and people wanted to "make sure that we're not successful."

  Join Times Kings writer Lisa Dillman and hockey Hall of Famer Helene Elliott today at 2 p.m. as they preview tonight's playoff game between the Kings and the San Jose Sharks. The big talk coming out of Game 1 wasn't the Kings' victory, but the hard hit by San Jose's Raffi Torres on the Kings' Jarret Stoll. As Elliott wrote earlier this week , "San Jose winger Raffi Torres' jarring hit of Kings center Jarret Stoll on Tuesday triggered a sizable ripple effect that could alter the tone and course of the teams' Western Conference semifinal playoff series.

For Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, this season is all about making the right decisions. He seems to be off to a good start. Doughty, prone to weight problems, stayed in shape during the NHL lockout by working with a trainer and practicing with the junior team near his home in London, Canada. Gearing up for the opening of training camp Sunday and launching the 48-game season next Saturday, Doughty pronounced himself pleased with his fitness after he joined teammates for an informal workout in El Segundo.

He couldn't ask more of his players than he could give of himself, not if he was going to remain true to the principles that have governed his hockey career and his life. Darryl Sutter could have stayed on as coach of the Chicago Blackhawks for the paycheck. He could have kept going on the coaching merry-go-round and tried to force the jagged pieces of his life to fit together.