Kings FYI: Anze Kopitar is expected to return Sunday

The missing link has been painfully obvious to the Kings during their first long trip of the season.

They should get center Anze Kopitar in the lineup Sunday — barring some odd setback — and none too soon for the Kings’ No. 1 defenseman Drew Doughty. Kopitar has been out because of an upper-body injury.

“It’s pretty clear we miss Kopi these last three games,” Doughty said Saturday. “He’s our guy that plays against the other team’s top lines. He outplays the other team’s top centerman a lot of the time.

“And that’s kind of what we’re missing the last three games, missing that guy that can be an offensive force and defensive force at the same time. It’ll be good to get him back.”

The Kings and Kopitar practiced in Detroit on Saturday afternoon before traveling to Raleigh, N.C. They play at Carolina on Sunday and will be boosted by Kopitar’s presence after losing in overtime and twice in regulation on this trip. Kings forward Marian Gaborik, who has played only three games this season because of an upper-body injury, is not quite ready.

“It felt good,” Kopitar said. “I’m planning on it, unless there’s something really drastic that happens…. Hopefully it stays that way and hopefully I feel that way tomorrow.”

Kopitar, the Kings’ leading scorer the last seven seasons, finished second last season to the Boston Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron for the Selke Trophy, is given to the “forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”

He was injured Sunday at Staples Center against Columbus and disclosed that his arm went numb when he went down, saying it felt like a stinger.

“When I landed on the ice, it was kinda scary when your whole arm gets numb, and it’s not a very great feeling,” Kopitar said. “I tried it a couple of times after and I didn’t have a whole lot of power in me. It came back pretty quick.

“A couple of days after, I felt like I had pretty good strength. Again, I had to be a little bit cautious too, not to overdo it.”

His teammates do a good job of policing the natural tendency to come back too soon during this losing streak.

“You always want to help your teammates in times like this we drop a couple in a row,” Kopitar said. “You want to get back as quickly as you can. There’s guys in here that keep me in check and don’t let me do anything stupid.”

The Kings have been hit by a rash of early-season injuries but may have caught a break Friday night in Detroit. Forward Justin Williams went into the boards and seemed to be in pain, checking out his shoulder.

But he stayed on the bench, took a regular shift the rest of the game and practiced Saturday.

“I think it was pretty self-inflicted when I tripped or something,” Williams said, wryly. “I went into the boards weird. When you’re on the ground there for a few seconds, you’re just making sure everything is in the right place. Making sure the shoulder was all right.

“Everything felt all right. I was a little sore. I might have dodged a bullet.”

Today

At Carolina

When: 2 p.m. PST

On the air: TV: FS West. Radio: 790.

Etc.: The Hurricanes beat Arizona, 3-0, Saturday night to win their first game of the season. They appeared to be sending a message of sorts, designating the highly paid and underperforming Alexander Semin a healthy scratch against the Coyotes.

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

Twitter: @reallisa