Kings’ morning skate: Scuderi and Moller are in, Drewiske and Harrold are out

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Defenseman Rob Scuderi will be back in the Kings’ lineup for their game against Calgary tonight at Staples Center after missing nine games because of a lower-body injury that he acknowledged was an ankle problem. Davis Drewiske, who started the season off well but hasn’t had a plus game defensively since Nov. 2, will be a healthy scratch.

‘He came and knocked on my door after practice the other day, basically said there’s four days I’ve been feeling very good, not getting any tape put on his foot -- his lower body -- and so he’s ready to go,’ Coach Terry Murray said. ‘That’s good news.’

Scuderi will be paired with Drew Doughty. The other pairs will be Sean O’Donnell-Matt Greene and Randy Jones-Jack Johnson.

‘When you’ve been out for this long and you haven’t seen the game a little bit, I’m going to be a little behind. I’m going to make a couple of timing mistakes and things,’ Scuderi said. ‘But after two, three games I think that all comes back.’

Scuderi, who was injured on Nov. 14, said he didn’t think he’d be gone so long but the ankle simply didn’t feel right. ‘It just took a little longer than I expected. I’m glad to be back,’ he said.

Up front, Oscar Moller, who made brief appearances in two mid-October games after being recalled from Manchester of the American Hockey League, is back and will play right wing with the newly hot Brad Richardson (three goals in three games) and Raitis Ivanans.

‘We called him up to give us a little protection there,’ Murray said of Moller. ‘About a player after the game the other day there seemed to be some concern about a bruise, so I was a little nervous about that. So this is just an opportunity to get Oscar back in the lineup....

‘He’s a creative guy, a competitive guy. He also has been playing in the other two positions down in [Manchester}, a lot of left wing, so if necessary I can have a lot of flexibility to move he and Richardson around.’

Moller was pulled off the Manchester Monarchs’ bus just as the team was leaving for Lowell, Mass., and told that he would instead be heading to Los Angeles. He said he wasn’t disturbed that the Kings had called up other forwards -- Scott Parse and Andrei Loktionov -- before bringing him back.

‘Not really. I’m really happy for those guys,’ Moller said. ‘They’ve been working really hard at Manchester. I think they really deserved the call. Obviously I’m trying to work as hard as I can and improve my game and when the time is right hopefully I’m getting the call up. Now is my time, so I’ve got to try my best here while I’m up here.’

He also said he had played a few games at his natural center position but had also played both wings. The wing might be a better place for Moller, who’s listed at 5-foot-10 and 186 pounds and is likely to be run over by some of the NHL’s bigger centers.

‘I’m able to use my quickness more, I think, and be able to get in on the forecheck more and create some scoring opportunities,’ Moller said. ‘It’s fine with me. I’ve been playing wing last year and a little bit the year before that in junior.... The adjustment wasn’t that big.’

-- Helene Elliott

More later at www.latimes.com/sports