Duchesne Getting Coach’s Message?

After one game as a healthy scratch, defenseman Steve Duchesne was back in the lineup Wednesday night at Dallas, but whether the message sent by his benching was received is unknown.

And unspoken.

Coach Larry Robinson had said that Duchesne’s sitting was because of a need for a harder-hitting lineup on the ice against the New Jersey Devils a week ago. Hard-hitting is something Duchesne has never been.

“You can’t play this game at the end of your stick,” Robinson said.

Duchesne has been keeping his stick at arm’s length, the better to ward off contact.

He said that Robinson had not talked to him about a problem of physical play.

Robinson said that he shouldn’t have to.

“At this point in the season, if a guy is not in the lineup, he should know that there’s a good reason for it,” Robinson said. “I shouldn’t have to express myself.

“He’s too good a player not to be in there, but if he’s not playing to his capabilities, then I have to do something.”

Duchesne, an offensive defenseman, has only two goals and 13 assists, one of them Wednesday night, after getting 204 goals and 448 assists over 13 seasons.

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The Kings will get center Ray Ferraro and winger Craig Johnson back for Friday’s game at Washington. Ferraro returns only 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery for cartilage damage. Johnson has been out for two weeks because of a rib injury. . . . King winger Eric Lacroix took a shot in the thigh in the first period, came back and tried to play in the third and couldn’t. He was limping after the game.