KINGS NOTEBOOK: FLINN BACK FROM N.H.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - Kings goalkeeper Felix Potvin spent his Olympic break swimming and frolicking in the sun with his family in Cabo San Lucas, while a few thousand miles away, teammate Ryan Flinn endured near-frigid temperatures in Manchester, N.H.

But that was fine with Flinn, the Kings' 21-year-old rookie forward and budding NHL enforcer, who got to play four games with the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings' affiliate team in the American Hockey League.

``I'm definitely not complaining,'' Flinn said. ``I didn't even think I'd be in position to have an Olympic break this year.''

Flinn, who signed as a free agent before the season, has appeared in the Kings' past nine games and has received major fighting penalties in six of them. Flinn said he treated the trip to Manchester as a chance to elevate his overall game, and said a return to the minor leagues after playing in the NHL was a bit of a transition.

``The overall speed of the game is a lot faster (in the NHL),'' Flinn said. ``Things might only happen a second faster than they do in the minors, but that second can make a big difference. If you make even a small mistake, it can be costly.''

--Wait and see: Coach Andy Murray remained hopeful but far from certain that he would be able to rejoin the Kings today in Columbus, Ohio, in preparation for Tuesday's game against the Blue Jackets.

``I'm optimistic, but I'm not feeling real great today,'' Murray said Sunday afternoon from his home in Faribault, Minn. ``I'm definitely not 100 percent.''

Murray is suffering from post-concussion syndrome, the result of a Feb. 15 car accident. If he receives permission from a neurologist this morning, Murray will fly to Columbus, join the Kings tonight and be behind the bench Tuesday.

Murray, who has dealt with severe headaches and occasional nausea over the past few days, also broke four ribs and separated his left shoulder in the accident, and his return to the team already has been delayed twice. Murray initially believed he would be back in Los Angeles for the resumption of practice last Thursday.

``I probably should have taken things a little easier right after the accident,'' Murray said. ``The doctors told me to take it easy, but I really wanted to get back to the team and I thought I was going to be OK. My head has been bothering me so much that I barely feel the ribs or the shoulder.''

Ray Bennett, who has run the Kings this week along with fellow assistant coaches Mark Hardy and Dave Tippett, said Murray's absence has not been a distraction.

``We had our sports psychologist talk to the guys about getting refocused,'' Bennett said. ``He talked about how if Andy is not able to be there (in Columbus) that we will need collective leadership from everybody, from coaches and players.''

--Welcome back: Team captain Mattias Norstrom and forward Mikko Eloranta returned to practice Sunday. The pair represented Sweden and Finland, respectively, in the Winter Olympics, and both countries were eliminated Wednesday.

U.S. team members Adam Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller are scheduled to join the Kings in Columbus this afternoon.