Palffy Cleared to Play in Opener

As expected, winger Ziggy Palffy was cleared to play in Thursday’s first-round playoff opener at Detroit, but the line on which he plays will probably be different from the one he left when he sprained his shoulder March 15.

Palffy, who worked out Monday while most of his teammates had the day off, will combine with Jozef Stumpel, as he has since the first day of training camp. But Luc Robitaille has been moved to a line with Ian Laperriere and Glen Murray.

Unless it includes Bryan Smolinski.

In a medical situation that borders on the miraculous, Smolinski, who tore a ligament in his right knee April 3 at Phoenix and was declared out of the playoffs, was fitted for a brace and went through a strength test on Monday, then skated at the HealthSouth Training Facility at El Segundo.

The test said the knee was strong enough to skate, and the skating showed there was a possibility that he could be of value against the Red Wings. His status was upgraded to day to day.

Smolinski will practice with the Kings today and accompany them to Detroit, where his recovery will be monitored closely.

“We still don’t think he can play,” Coach Andy Murray said. “We’re going to prepare the same way we’ve prepared for the past week, as though he’ll be out.”

If Smolinski is in on Thursday, however, the Kings can rejoin Robitaille with Palffy and Stumpel in a line that combined for 80 goals and 198 points. Smolinski then can rejoin Glen Murray in a pairing that combines 49 goals and 118 points. The other winger will probably be Craig Johnson, nominally a checker but with nine goals and 22 points.

If Smolinski can’t play, Robitaille will join Glen Murray and Laperriere on a line, and Johnson will join Palffy and Stumpel.

The reason would be to diffuse the Red Wing defense, which would probably concentrate on a Robitaille-Stumpel-Palffy line.