Robitaille Says He’ll Play Tonight

Left wing Luc Robitaille traveled with the team to Vancouver but did not play Wednesday night in the Kings’ 2-0 win over the Canucks but said he will play tonight against St. Louis at the Great Western Forum.

“I’m feeling really good and I’m ready to go,” said Robitaille, who has not played since before the Olympic break because of a groin/abdominal injury. “I have to now get used to the speed of the game again. Once I get hit a few times, I’ll probably feel more comfortable.”

For Robitaille, who has 16 goals and 39 points in 55 games this season, it has been tough watching his teammates play over the last two months.

“It’s easy when we win, hard when we lose,” he said. “I’ve tried to make the best out of [not playing]. But, the days were long. I couldn’t wait to play again. . . . I probably could have played [against Vancouver] but the date for me to return all along has been [April 16th] and the doctors wouldn’t have let me play back-to-back.”

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With the Kings probably sticking with six defensemen for the playoffs, Jan Vopat realizes that it’s important for him to play well over the final games so that Coach Larry Robinson has enough confidence to put him in the lineup.

“I’ve never been in the playoffs and it’s pretty exciting to be a part of the team now,” said Vopat, who scored his first goal of the season Wednesday.

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Center Ray Ferraro and right wing Sandy Moger did not make the trip to Vancouver because of knee injuries and defenseman Aki Berg suffered a cervical sprain in the third period against the Canucks. Berg will be examined today.