Norstrom Feels Pain From Coyote Encounter

Mattias Norstrom awakened Tuesday morning, thought about it a moment and realized he was in Southern California and had a Kings’ practice to attend.

And that he had a headache.

It was a far cry from 12 or so hours before, when Norstrom was in Phoenix, as best he could figure.

And had a headache, courtesy of Rick Tocchet’s stick in the Kings’ 4-2 victory over the Coyotes.

It was the beginning of a scenario that ended with Phoenix’s Keith Tkachuk suffering a broken rib that will sideline him for three weeks; with Jeremy Roenick suffering a concussion that will sideline him a week; and with Dallas Drake being suspended four games after hitting the Kings’ Doug Bodger from behind late in the third period.

That costs Drake $20,833.33 of his $1-million salary.

It also makes Bodger doubtful for tonight’s game against San Jose because of bruises along his right arm and neck that prevented him from lifting that arm above shoulder level Tuesday morning.

Norstrom didn’t know who hit him.

“I only know that I was all right until I got to the bench,” he said. “After I got there and sat down, I was foggy.

“I had no idea what happened.”

Norstrom cross-checked Tkachuk in the crease in the second period, and Bodger hammered Roenick in the third, and the Coyotes spent the rest of the night retaliating.

And losing, both the game and their cool.

“Games against Phoenix have always been kind of physical,” Norstrom said. “. . . . And last night was huge for us. It was in their building, where they were 10-1-1. We had just played them Saturday.

“All of those things were probably factors.”

And reasons why the Coyotes have Feb. 10 and March 21 circled on their calendars. Those dates are when the Kings come to call again.

TONIGHT vs. San Jose

7:30, Fox Sports West

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KRLA (1110).

* Records--Kings 11-21-3, Sharks 10-15-8.

* Record vs. Sharks--0-1.

* Update--San Jose is unbeaten in its last five games and is coming off a 1-1 tie with Philadelphia. Eric Lindros scored a power-play goal in that game that ended San Jose’s penalty-killing streak at 32. The Sharks are led by Jeff Friesen’s 10 goals and 13 assists, but he is doubtful tonight because of a separated shoulder. The Kings have won three of their last four games.

* Countdown to 500: Luc Robitaille has 496 goals on his way to becoming the 28th NHL player to score 500.