Virus Forces Carney to Miss Game

The Mighty Ducks had to play without their best defenseman against the Kings on Thursday at Staples Center when Keith Carney sat out because of a stomach virus.

The Ducks, already without Ruslan Salei, who has a strained muscle in his right side, played with five defensemen.

Carney and Salei each average more than 20 minutes.

Duck officials will consider recalling a defenseman from minor league Cincinnati. The Ducks do not play again until Sunday, when they face Phoenix at the Arrowhead Pond.

“We had no idea Keith was ill and I was led to believe that [Salei] was ready to play,” General Manager Bryan Murray said. “We’ll have to see how Keith is. But we were playing with five defensemen, then [defenseman] Niclas Havelid gets hit with a high stick that doesn’t get seen and we were without him half the first period.”

Havelid played only 5 minutes 37 seconds in the first, leaving the defense duties to Kurt Sauer, Fredrik Olausson, Pavel Trnka and Vitaly Vishnevski.

Salei sat out for the ninth time in 10 games. There is no timetable for his return.

-- Chris Foster

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Although Jamie Storr has gotten most of the starts against the Ducks the last two seasons, King Coach Andy Murray started Felix Potvin in goal Thursday.

With the Kings playing only three games this week, the nod went to a rested Potvin, who was 14-3-6 all-time against the Ducks before Thursday. Storr is 6-2-4 against the Ducks in his career.

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The Kings’ Adam Deadmarsh, who has been experiencing dizziness, sat out his second consecutive game.

-- Lonnie White