Blake Out After Experiencing Knee Pain

Defenseman Rob Blake did not play against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night because of pain in his left knee, which required surgery and forced him to sit out all but six games last season. Team doctors have told Blake not to skate until Friday and hope that he may be able to play at Vancouver on Saturday.

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With Blake and Doug Zmolek (flu) out against the Avalanche, the Kings showcased their defensemen of the future for the third game in a row.

Aki Berg, Sean O’Donnell, Mattias Norstrom, Jaroslav Modry, Philippe Boucher and Jan Vopat average slightly more than 23 years of age. And, neither Blake or Zmolek is older than 27.

“We’re really happy with our young defensive players,” said Rogie Vachon, the Kings’ chief hockey operations officer. “We have good goaltending and a good young solid defense. That to me is a good start.”