How Swede It Is for Murray

With the problems the Kings have had in holding onto leads in the third period, Coach Andy Murray has resorted to yarn-spinning to prove his point: that the way to hold the lead is hold the puck.

Meet Mats Waltin.

“When I was coaching in Switzerland, I had a Swedish defenseman, Mats Waltin, and we were holding a lead by shooting the puck into the other end, like you usually do,” Murray related Friday after a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames, much as he had with the Kings earlier in the week.

“I was a young coach, ranting and raving to shoot the puck out, and Mats Waltin came to the bench one day and said, ‘Coach, why don’t you settle down? Why don’t we just keep the puck?’

“It was kind of funny tonight, because guys would come back to the bench after making a good play and say, ‘I was that Swedish defenseman out there.’ ”

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Murray said he has already accomplished one goal, he thinks.

“My first goal as a coach was to make sure I’m still coaching by the home opener at the Staples Center,” he said. “After looking at that road trip, some people may have doubted that this summer. That’s one goal that’s been achieved, I guess.”

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Social note: Murray’s mother, Florence; brother, sister and two cousins got a chance to see him in action Friday night as an NHL coach for the first time.

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Political note: Left wing Luc Robitaille is being asked about his seven-goal start, but he would rather talk about son Stephen. “He’s been elected president of his school,” Robitaille said. “The whole school. Did a speech and everything.”

TONIGHT’S GAME

at Edmonton

5 PDT

* Site--Skyreach Centre.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 4-1-1-0, Oilers 1-2-2-1.

* Record vs. Oilers (1998-99)--3-0-1.

* Update--The big news in Edmonton is that the Oilers’ leading scorer last season, left wing Bill Guerin, wants to be the big news someplace else. Guerin, an unsigned free agent who earned $1.5 million for scoring 30 goals and adding 34 assists, figures that the numbers are worth about $3.5 million to $3.7 million in a contract for this season and in the future. Edmonton management figures it’s already paying out about $23 million to its roster without Guerin and that about $2.5 million more for him is about right. What’s left of the Oilers is led by Ryan Smith (three goals) and Doug Weight (three assists), and by goalie Tommy Salo, who has a 1.95 goals-against average.