Center Jarret Stoll makes return to Kings lineup

CHICAGO -- The Kings received a significant boost when center Jarret Stoll returned to the lineup for the opener of the Western Conference finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, having been out because of a concussion since Game 1 of their series against the San Jose Sharks.

Teams, typically, keep injury information to a minimum during the playoffs. But Stoll has been skating and took the pregame warmups here at United Center on Saturday afternoon.

He is one of the Kings’ best faceoff men and penalty killers, and those skills were sorely missed in the seven-game series with San Jose. Stoll was taking line rushes before the game with wingers Dwight King and Trevor Lewis.

Raffi Torres of the Sharks took out Stoll with a high hit in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Torres was suspended by the NHL for the rest of the series.

“I’ve done this before, earlier on in my career, so I know how it feels and what’s right and what’s not, if I’m off or back to normal,” Stoll told The Times’ Helene Elliott last week in San Jose when the Kings were there for Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals.

He has a concussion history, dating to his Edmonton Oilers days. Stoll missed the last 30 games of the 2006-07 season.

ALSO:

Size doesn’t necessarily matter, the Kings say

Kings’ evolution from loser to Stanley Cup winner continues

Kings vs. Blackhawks: L.A. tries to go where no team has gone lately