Call it a coincidence, but the Kings have a 7-2-2 record since Jack Johnson returned to the lineup a month ago. Johnson has one goal and a minus-1 rating in those 11 games, and his minutes are slowly increasing. Johnson played a season-high 24 minutes, 46 seconds, in Saturday’s game, and has looked strong. Terry Murray has even taken to pairing Johnson with Drew Doughty in tight, late-game situations, and the potential is definitely there for a long-term Johnson-Doughty pairing. I caught up with Johnson for a few minutes after practice today…

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Question: Just looking at the standings, the team has played very well since you returned. Are you pleased with what you’ve been able to bring since your return?

JOHNSON: “I think so. Coach is starting to use me a little bit more, as I’ve gotten a few more games under my belt, and I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer the team and I feel like I’ve got more to offer. Things have been good. We’ve been winning, and that’s the most important thing. I don’t know if it’s a direct corrolation to me or not. I doubt that. I just think we’re playing well.”

Question: You’ve been partnered with Drew here and there, particularly late in games, and there seems to be some potential there. Do you guys talk about that?

JOHNSON: “Yeah, there’s obviously some potential there. I think we would love to play with each other. I think we need to play with each other a little bit more, to learn what each other is doing and develop some kind of feeling for each other, because right now we’re kind of learning on the job. The only way we’re going to get better together is to play together, but I think we both really like to play with each other.”

Question: What is the difference, for the defensemen, under Terry Murray as opposed to Crawford? What has changed for you guys on a game-to-game basis?

JOHNSON: “Well, if mistakes are made, we’re easily able to put them behind us and go forward. We can go shift-to-shift, and if something happens that didn’t go your way in the previous shift or the previous game, (Murray) allows us to put it behind us and start fresh, start over. There’s nothing you can do about it. He’s been great, just with being able to teach more than anything.”