Blake Expected to Play Today, Palffy, Robitaille to Sit

Rob Blake came off the ice at HealthSouth Training Facility on Saturday sweating. “Playing is easier than this,” he said, laughing after the Kings’ practice.

So today’s game against the Mighty Ducks should be easier than Saturday’s practice for Blake, the defenseman who will be in the lineup for the first time since bruising a knee while checking Anaheim’s Ted Donato on April 1.

Wingers Ziggy Palffy (sprained shoulder) and Luc Robitaille (various ailments) will not play. Defenseman Garry Galley, who spent Friday night and Saturday morning helping wife Terry-Lynn get 9-pound 3-ounce Blake Galley into the world, also is expected to miss the game.

The decision on Rob Blake was easy enough. Blake, Palffy and Coach Andy Murray met Saturday and discussed playing, but Blake was certain that he would be after Friday night’s 3-1 victory over Dallas. He wanted ice time before the Kings open their playoff series at Detroit, probably Thursday.

Palffy has been out since injuring his shoulder in a game against the Ducks on March 15. There should be no problem with his being ready for Detroit.

Robitaille’s rest is a case of preventive maintenance.

“It’s more of a fatigue thing,” Murray said. “He’s been playing a lot of minutes lately, and he’s kind of got ice bags on a lot of places.”

The Kings called up winger Jason Podollan from Lowell of the American Hockey League to play in today’s game and sent defenseman Philippe Boucher to Long Beach, where he was to play Saturday night.