Palffy Can’t Stand Watching

Ziggy Palffy spent much of Friday night on the trainers’ table at Staples Center, ice on his shoulder, television tuned to the Kings’ 4-0 loss to St. Louis.

It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“It’s hard,” he said. “We only have 10 games left or however many there are [actually 11]. The season is almost over and we aren’t in the playoffs yet, and I’m off the ice. I have to be strong right now and work even harder off the ice.”

Palffy, who is tied for the team scoring lead with Luc Robitaille with 66 points, suffered a sprained right shoulder Wednesday night at the Arrowhead Pond when he was hammered into the boards by the Mighty Ducks’ Vitaly Vishnevski.

It was a clean hit, Palffy said.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to be out two to four weeks until I read the paper this morning,” he said, smiling.

He then lifted his arm to just below shoulder height.

“It’s sore,” he said. “They just told me [I could play] when I felt better.”

Palffy knew there was a problem shortly after hitting the ice, when he was helped off by trainer Pete Demers, holding his right arm.

“It was pretty sore then,” Palffy said. “I’ve never had an injury like this in my career.”

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King goalie Stephane Fiset is ready to play, but the team is exercising caution in returning him to the lineup after his bout with a groin strain.

Besides, they have been pretty well set in goal with Jamie Storr.

Fiset has been on injured reserve since the March 4 injury.

Friday night was Storr’s sixth start in a row, and he is 3-2-1, giving up only 11 goals in the six games.

Plans are for Fiset to play next weekend, when the Kings face their last back-to-back games of the season, Saturday afternoon at Boston and Sunday night at Atlanta.