© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Kings Kopitar Working Through 'Something Nagging' Heading Into Postseason
The Los Angeles Kings have relied on captain Anze Kopitar for the last 18 years to be the on-ice leader and this season is no different.
They need him to be one of, if not the, best player for them in the playoffs if they have any hope of advancing past the first round this season.
On the plus side, he's still producing like a much younger player, on pace for 72 points if he plays the final two games of the season.
However, he missed Saturday's game against the Anaheim Ducks for what most assumed was a routine maintenance night off.
After the game when asked about Kopitar's absence, head coach Jim Hiller confirmed that Kopitar was out due to what he called "something nagging."
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Hiller didn't confirm what that "something nagging" was, and it's impossible to speculate, but it doesn't appear to be anything major.
It's also the second time there's been mention of Kopitar dealing with a little knock.
He then stated that the team wasn't going to rest anyone, but if anyone picks up a knock in the next few days they'll discuss keeping them in the press box for a game.
Hiller wasn't sure if Kopitar would miss any more games down the stretch, but did say he “would assume that” when asked if Kopitar could play through the injury in the playoffs.
We've gotten to the time of year when everyone has a few players carrying little injuries and having the opportunity to rest those players for a few games is huge for the Kings.
Especially when one of those players is a 36-year-old with a lot of miles on his tires.
As Kopitar mentioned after Thursday's game, he doesn't want to be shut down for the remainder of the season, so you'd expect him to play at least one of the Kings' remaining two games.
