Blake Scheduled to Return Tonight

Rob Blake pointed to the power-play unit and reeled off the names: Doug Bodger, Jozef Stumpel, himself.

“Three guys there who haven’t been there,” he said Friday, listing injured key Kings who are now recovering players, Blake the last among them.

He’s back tonight after sitting out six weeks because of a broken foot.

“You haven’t been able to judge this team because we haven’t had the full lineup,” he said. “When you lose five guys [among them goalies Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr] out of the main lineup, it’s hard.”

Actually, nearly impossible. The Kings are 7-17-3 overall, 3-12 since Blake left the lineup.

“I’m not going to put the onus on him and say one guy will make a big difference,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “He’s one guy. If everybody pulls his socks up, and if we cut down on defensive mistakes, then we can win.”

What Blake’s return, coupled with those of Bodger, Fiset, Storr and Stumpel, does is offer the answer to the proposal: “Wait and see when we get everybody back.” It’s been the Kings’ rallying cry for more than a month.

“He does psychologically give us a lift,” Robinson said. “We’re getting guys back. Some guys can take confidence from that.”

*

Defenseman Mark Visheau found a green practice jersey in his locker Friday, indicating he would be playing forward, donned it and became a left winger on a line with Nathan LaFayette and Josh Green.

It was largely an experiment, in part brought on by Blake’s return, which leaves the Kings with eight defensemen on their roster, one more than usual. Plus, center Yanic Perreault was busy attending to the birth of his child, leaving the Kings short up front.

“I’ll play wherever Larry wants me to play,” Visheau said.

Almost anywhere.

“I did say to Larry, ‘I’m not playing goalie,’ ” Visheau said.

TONIGHT vs. Vancouver

7, Fox Sports West

Site--Great Western Forum.

Radio--KRLA (1110).

Records--Kings 7-17-3, Canucks 10-13-4.

Record vs. Canucks--1-1.

Update--Vancouver is struggling, with a 1-0-3 record in its last four games, all of them without injured first-line wingers Alexander Mogilny and Todd Bertuzzi. Actually, they are 1-4-3 without Mogilny and 5-9-3 without Bertuzzi, in whose absence center Mark Messier has tried to elevate his game. He came down with back spasms before Wednesday’s 4-4 tie with the Mighty Ducks, but still played and had two assists. The Kings broke a five-game losing streak Wednesday, beating Washington, and are 2-11 in their last 13 games.