Kings defenseman Alec Martinez doesn’t make trip to Detroit because of upper-body injury
The injury wheel kept on spinning for the Kings into the Motor City.
Defenseman Alec Martinez did not make the trip to Detroit because of an upper-body injury sustained Saturday, general manager Rob Blake said. The injury is not concussion-related, according to interim coach Willie Desjardins, and is believed to have occurred on a hit from Ryan Reaves of the Vegas Golden Knights.
It adds to the injury list that includes forwards Ilya Kovalchuk, Carl Hagelin, Kyle Clifford and Trevor Lewis and goalie Jack Campbell. The Kings have already totaled more than 100 man-games lost to injury.
Oscar Fantenberg took Martinez’s place with Jake Muzzin in line rushes. Sean Walker was recalled, but was not on the ice at the team’s morning skate at Little Caesars Arena. Austin Wagner took Clifford’s spot on the fourth line and will play in his fourth game in five nights, split between the Kings and Ontario Reign.
An update on Gabriel Vilardi is pending. The organization’s top forward prospect was unable to complete his conditioning assignment with Ontario last Saturday because of injury.
Clifford reaction
No supplemental discipline was given to Pierre-Edouard Bellmare for his hit on Clifford, who is out with concussion symptoms, Blake confirmed. Bellmare appeared to hit Clifford directly in the head in the neutral zone. No penalty was assessed.
Desjardins was asked about the non-action and said that “I know Rob Blake talked to [the league] about it,” but didn’t criticize the NHL.
“It’s a tough hit, Desjardins said. “That’s the league to rule on. For Cliffy, we certainly support him.”
Twitter: @curtiszupke
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
