Here is the latest Kings injury update. Monday’s Kings practice in El Segundo brought one piece of good news and one new worry. Adrian Kempe was back on the ice after missing Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Buffalo and says he plans to play Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. Brandt Clarke left practice midway through with team trainers and did not return. The Los Angeles Kings (4-7-2) have not said what happened to Clarke, and Peter Laviolette had no update right after practice. Another practice is scheduled for Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday’s 7 p.m. PST game at Crypto.com Arena.
The Kings’ media session from Monday’s practice, above, includes Joel Edmundson, Adrian Kempe and Laviolette.
Adrian Kempe: “I’m feeling better”
Laviolette had called Kempe day-to-day before the Buffalo game, and Martin Chromiak took his spot in the lineup for his NHL debut. On Monday, Kempe skated with the group and sounded confident about Wednesday.
“I’m feeling better,” Kempe told LA Kings Insider. “Yesterday was a lot better than the day before. Today, I waited until this morning to see how I felt before I came in but good enough to where I felt like I could get out there and skate today. Hopefully get a couple practices in before the game.”
The Kings need him back. Kempe has three goals and eight points in 12 games and averages 20.7 minutes per game, according to NHL stats. He usually plays on the top line with Artemi Panarin and Alex Laferriere. Kempe watched Saturday’s game from home. “Overall, I feel like we played good enough to win the game,” he said. “I think 5-on-5, we played good enough to win on Saturday but special teams is a huge factor.”
The Kings have not officially confirmed Kempe for Wednesday. His own plan is to play, but treat his availability as likely, not certain, until Laviolette confirms it or warmups show it.
Brandt Clarke leaves practice
This is Clarke’s second scare in less than a week. He left the Oct. 29 overtime win over Ottawa after an illegal check by Senators forward Hayden Hodgson, and Hodgson was suspended two games for the hit. Clarke practiced the next day and played Saturday against Buffalo. On Monday, he left the ice midway through practice with trainers. LA Kings Insider’s Zach Dooley wrote that he did not see what caused it.
The cause of Monday’s exit, the nature of any injury and Clarke’s status for Wednesday are all unconfirmed. Clarke signed a five-year extension this summer and is one of the Kings’ most productive players. His 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 13 games are second on the team behind Panarin’s 13, and he averages 19.3 minutes. The Kings had trouble breaking the puck out of their zone after he left the Ottawa game.
If the Kings need to call up a defenseman, LA Kings Insider named three options with the AHL’s Ontario Reign: Scott Perunovich, Kirill Kirsanov and Angus Booth. No transaction has been announced.
Fiala, Zuccarello and Turcotte
- Kevin Fiala (injured reserve, week-to-week) is practicing with full contact. Last Friday he filled Kempe’s spot on the top line and power play. On Monday he moved in and out of the forward lines.
- Mats Zuccarello (injured reserve, week-to-week) has practiced twice with the full group and worked as an opposing power-play player during Monday’s penalty-kill work. LA Kings Insider does not believe he is close to returning.
- Alex Turcotte (injured reserve since Oct. 10) is still skating on his own. “The only thing that I know right now is that he is still week-to-week and has not joined us,” Laviolette said.
- Jakub Dvorak remains on injured reserve.
None of the four has been activated. Being back at practice does not mean a player is cleared to play.
Penalty-kill work, with Kempe willing to help
Monday’s practice also focused heavily on the league’s lowest-ranked penalty kill. “Penalty kill is all about execution, whereas a power play is all about creativity,” Laviolette said. Edmundson blamed himself for a missed clear before Buffalo’s second power-play goal: “I didn’t get the clear off that faceoff and they scored five seconds later.”
Kempe, Laferriere and Quinton Byfield all took penalty-kill reps. Laviolette would prefer not to add to the workload of players already logging 20-plus minutes, but he did not rule it out. “If your needs don’t get met inside the team, you can’t just let it just stay that way forever,” he said. Kempe said he is open to the role: “I always like to kill… I’m always ready whenever my number comes up.”
San Jose Sharks scouting
The Sharks come to Los Angeles after a 2-1 home loss to Calgary on Monday night, and they are 7-8-1. Adam Klapka and William Stromgren scored for the Calgary Flames, and Dustin Wolf made 26 saves. Sam Dickinson scored San Jose’s only goal with 8:03 left, and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 20 shots. Macklin Celebrini leads San Jose in scoring. The Sharks won the first meeting 5-4 in overtime on Oct. 3, a game LA Kings Insider says the Kings outplayed them in.
Both teams will be rested. San Jose has Tuesday off after Monday’s game, and the Kings have not played since Saturday. This Kings vs Sharks game is the third of the Kings homestand, which runs seven games. They are 1-1 on it and 1-4-0 at home this season.
Hometown Remix jerseys debut
Wednesday is also the debut of the Kings’ “Hometown Remix” jersey, part of a leaguewide NHL and Fanatics program. According to the team, the royal purple jersey has a Hollywood-inspired serif crest, palm trees on the sleeves and six diamonds inside for six decades of Kings hockey. The Kings will wear it for seven Wednesday home games. The only Wednesday home game without it is Feb. 24, when Anze Kopitar’s No. 11 will be retired.
Notes and conflicts
- Clarke: As of this writing, the Kings have not given an injury designation or an explanation for Monday’s exit. One fan site called it an “injury.” No team source has confirmed that.
- Kempe: His plan to play comes from his own comments. The team has not officially confirmed it.
- Goalie: The Kings have not announced Wednesday’s starting goalie.
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