Rookie Vopat to Miss Trip

Apparently, the black cloud from last season returned over the Forum. Hit hard by injuries in 1995-96, there was another setback even before the season’s second game.

Rookie defenseman Jan Vopat, who looked strong in Friday’s opener, will sit out for at least a week because of a lower back strain. He won’t be accompanying the team on this week’s trip to Montreal, Philadelphia and Washington.

It seems as though Vopat had been bothered by the injury during training camp but attempted to play through it. The decision to rest Vopat was made after Sunday’s morning skate. Now the Kings are down to seven healthy defensemen and one of them is Sean O’Donnell, who has not played in either game this season.

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One effective defensive pairing in the opener was Rob Blake and Mattias Norstrom. Although Blake started Sunday’s game with Aki Berg, he was paired with Norstrom later. King Coach Larry Robinson thought Norstrom would gain confidence playing with Blake.

“He [Norstrom] is still pressing a bit, still trying to do too much,” Robinson said. “That’s why we figured we’d play the two of them. We may not do it as much [later on]. You hate to have your two best guys together.”

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The Kings were lauded for their openness during the preseason, announcing paid attendance as well as turnstile figures even when two crowds were in the 4,000 range.

That apparently has ended after the three exhibitions at the Forum. A King spokesperson said it is NHL policy to announce paid attendance, which includes complimentary tickets as well.