Discipline Too Light, Murray Says

King Coach Andy Murray said he was upset that Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman Brooks Orpik received only a one-game suspension from the NHL for his knee-to-knee hit Friday on King defenseman Tim Gleason.

Gleason had to be helped off the ice and was diagnosed with a bruised knee. The NHL kept in contact with the Kings over the severity of Gleason’s injury before deciding on the length of the suspension.

Gleason played Sunday against the Chicago Blackhawks, had an assist in the Kings’ 4-2 victory and said afterward that he felt fine. Orpik was fined almost $6,000 and sat out Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“I don’t think it should be so much the injury as the action on the part of the other player,” Murray said. “There’s got to be more of a deterrent. I’m not upset with the young man in Pittsburgh. It’s just the league had an opportunity to say ‘We’re not going to tolerate that.’ The players are the major assets in this business. You’ve got to be strong with that. We’re fortunate Gleason’s not out for a long period of time.”

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Left wing Alexander Frolov, the sixth-leading scorer among NHL rookies last season, found himself on the Kings’ fourth line against Chicago.

Frolov, who did not have a point in the first two games, was replaced by 18-year-old first-round selection Dustin Brown on the No. 1 line.

In the third period, however, Frolov was back on the top line with Ziggy Palffy and Jozef Stumpel.

Frolov received an assist on the final goal of the Kings’ victory. He was stopped by goaltender Jocelyn Thibault on a breakaway, but stayed with the play and successfully fed Jaroslav Modry in the upper slot. “He made a good play,” Murray said.

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Kevin Donovan, 31, the Kings’ director of corporate partnerships the last five years, died Sunday of stomach cancer. Funeral services were pending.