Struggling Kings Fire Head Coach Stevens, Hire Desjardins

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Head coach John Stevens has been fired by the struggling Los Angeles Kings just 13 games into his second season in charge.

Willie Desjardins was named the Kings' interim head coach Sunday.

Los Angeles is last in the overall NHL standings after a 4-8-1 start. The Kings have been outscored 45-28, but had won two of three after a six-game losing streak.

The Kings went 45-29-8 last season, finishing fourth in the Pacific Division and getting swept in the first round of the playoffs.

Stevens took over in 2017 after seven years as an assistant in Los Angeles under Terry Murray and Darryl Sutter. The former Philadelphia Flyers head coach was an assistant on the Kings'
Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2014.

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