Play Time Over for ‘Kids’ Line

Coach Pierre Page broke up his “Kids” line of Richard Park, Matt Cullen and Espen Knutsen by adding a seventh defenseman, Pavel Trnka, and putting veteran grinder Kevin Todd in the lineup.

Todd, who had one goal and three points going into Wednesday’s game against Tampa Bay, had been a scratch the past three games. Knutsen, who has three goals, and Park (scoreless) were scratched.

Tough guy Shawn Antoski also did not play.

“The ‘Kids’ line was good on the road trip, but we brought in some players and we need to play them, so Todd’s in [the lineup],” Page said.

Cullen and Knutsen continue to impress Page during their rookie seasons.

“I was in the draft meeting in Calgary when I heard Cullen’s name come up,” Page said. “That was the first I had heard of him. The scouts and the GM were talking about guys they were considering. I said, ‘Of all the guys you’ve described, he sounds like the best bet to me.’ ”

After a rocky start, Knutsen has started living up to Page’s expectations.

“He’s understanding there’s a difference between European hockey and North American hockey,” Page said of Knutsen, a Norwegian who had 103 points in 101 games in three seasons in the Swedish Elite League. “He’s really gung-ho to learn. Just give him time.”

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Defenseman Bobby Dollas remembers feeling as if he had been kicked on the play in which the skate blade of a Toronto Maple Leaf cut a tendon in his left forearm last week.

“It didn’t even bleed for a few minutes, the cut was so clean,” Dollas said. “At the arena, they said it was only nicked. But at the hospital, they said it was cut all the way through.”

Dollas will wear a cast for another week then begin physical therapy. He is expected to be sidelined up to six weeks.

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Tough guy Brent Severyn missed his sixth consecutive game because of what the medical staff now is calling a herniated disk in his back. He is expected to be sidelined one to two weeks.

“He needs to rest it,” Page said. “It’s kind of a whiplash thing.”

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Defenseman David Karpa played despite a strained left hamstring. Page bolstered the defensive corps by adding Trnka in case Karpa faltered.

“It’s maybe 80%,” Karpa said. “I’ll go to do something and all of a sudden, my leg goes. It’s just a nagging thing.”

Karpa suffered the injury Oct. 25 during a wild fight against Bryan McCabe of the New York Islanders.

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The Ducks added Orange-based KPLS (830) to their radio network Wednesday in an effort to reach more listeners in southern Orange County. There have been fan complaints that KRLA (1110), the team’s flagship station, doesn’t come in clearly in southern parts of the county.

KPLS will air about two-thirds of the Ducks’ remaining games.