During practice on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings were a few bodies short, including the absence of captain Anze Kopitar and starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
After the practice, it was reported that head coach Jim Hiller said both Kopitar and Kuemper are listed as “day-to-day” with lower-body injuries. The veteran duo last played on Monday when the Kings took on the Minnesota Wild.
Kuemper didn’t show any signs of distress or any hint of any injury. However, at some point against the Wild, Kopitar was hit by a teammate who was trying to play the puck up ice. The puck hit Kopitar in the foot and ankle area, and his yelp could be heard on the broadcast and in the nosebleeds of Grand Casino Arena.
It’s unclear if that’s what triggered Kopitar’s minor injury, but it could be a factor.
Nonetheless, the Kings’ captain hasn’t been ruled out for Los Angeles’ contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
The Kings’ clash against the Penguins will mark the last time Kopitar and Sidney Crosby share the ice at Crypto.com Arena.
As for the goaltending situation, Los Angeles called up goaltender Erik Portillo on an emergency basis from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. He has made two appearances for the Reign, averaging a 3.50 goals-against average and a .854 save percentage.
Portillo has one NHL game under his belt from when he made his debut early last season for the Kings. He earned a 2-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks, stopping 28 of 29 shots, recording a .966 SP and was the first star.
Aside from Kopitar and Kuemper missing practice, right winger Corey Perry made an appearance for the first time in his Kings career. He was practising on Wednesday with a red non-contact sweater.
The 40-year-old veteran has been out since early September, as he required knee surgery after suffering an injury during a pre-season training session.
After going through surgery, the timeline for Perry’s return was six to eight weeks. Up to this point, it has been just over four weeks, meaning there is still some time to go before Perry plays his first game, at least according to the initial projections of his timeline.
