Rookies Pay Price As Push to Make Playoffs Begins

Coming out of training camp, there was Josh Green.

And then Olli Jokinen was brought back from Springfield.

And Pavel Rosa was added from Long Beach.

The Kings keep trying to bring along their young players, to get them playing time, to nurture them because they are the team’s future.

But now is more important, and veterans such as Garry Galley and Ray Ferraro, seemingly forgotten as the season began, have reemerged in key roles for a team trying to turn preseason hype of making the playoffs into prophecy.

“Everyone does that,” Coach Larry Robinson said. “Young kids come out of training camp playing well, and they make mistakes, but you haven’t played many games and the mistakes aren’t as important. You learn from them.

“But now the games are more important because we want to make the playoffs, and the mistakes are bigger. That’s why you go more with veterans.”

Green has been sent back to Springfield and Rosa and Jokinen have traded healthy-scratch status because of a reluctance to have two young players in the same pressure-packed situation at the same time.

And Galley, who sat out eight of the season’s first 10 games, and Ferraro, who was scratched for eight of the first 19, have showed why they have been in the league 14 seasons.

Galley, who has some scoring history, has taken on a more defensive role, allowing defensive-mate Steve Duchesne to go to the net. And Ferraro has been among the most consistent offensive players.

Rosa’s ice time has diminished, and he has only three assists and no goals over the last 12 games, with four scratches.

Jokinen was moved to a wing on a line with Jozef Stumpel and Luc Robitaille on Saturday and assisted on Robitaille’s second goal.

And the Kings, with Galley getting 20 minutes Saturday in a 2-0 win over San Jose, and Ferraro getting nearly 15, have made up enough ground to be two points out of a playoff spot.

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Much is made of Robitaille being only the fifth left wing in NHL history with 500 goals, but his scoring has come increasingly from the right-wing side.

Both of his goals Saturday came from the right, as did his two goals at Dallas last week.

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Russ Courtnall can join teammates Doug Bodger and Galley on the NHL 1,000-games list Thursday against Philadelphia at the Great Western Forum.