Palffy’s Back Not Ready for Comeback

Winger Ziggy Palffy skated briefly Wednesday, but he won’t join the Kings until they reach New Jersey next week.

Palffy was scratched Wednesday for the second game in a row because of back spasms, only the fourth and fifth games he has missed because of injury in his NHL career, and he won’t play in road games at Detroit and Montreal on Friday and Saturday.

He is taking anti-inflammatory drugs and undergoing massage treatment for the injury, which flared up during Friday’s 1-1 tie at Anaheim.

His morning skate mainly consisted of taking shots with friend Jozef Stumpel, taking a couple of laps and firing a couple of pucks at the bench, where trainer Pete Demers was overseeing the workout.

With Palffy sidelined, Luc Robitaille spent some of Wednesday night double-shifting between lines that were centered by Len Barrie and Jason Blake.

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Stumpel, sidelined since Nov. 6 because of a sports hernia, is being targeted for a Dec. 22 or Dec. 26 return, about 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule. . . . At 4:12 of the second period Wednesday night, Atlanta center Ray Ferraro skated off the ice to serve a penalty for interfering with goalie Jamie Storr. Ferraro, a King for three-plus seasons, skated to the Kings’ penalty box, where he was rebuffed before sheepishly skating to the Thrashers’ box.

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Goalie Stephane Fiset, out since Nov. 9 because of a bruised hand suffered while taking warmup shots before the Edmonton game, took shots Wednesday and showed marked improvement in handling his stick.

That has been his main problem since the injury.

Fiset will be on the four-game, six-day trip that begins in Detroit, and while he is still on the injured list, he could be activated next week when the Kings play consecutive games with New Jersey and the New York Rangers.