Johnson Not Ready to Play

Left wing Craig Johnson, on the mend after eye surgery Tuesday, stayed home Saturday night when the Kings flew out of LAX for the opening game of a four-game trip tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Only the best-case scenario, Johnson said, would allow him to rejoin the team for the last game of the trip, Saturday at Calgary.

“I’d like to say yes, I’ll be there,” he said, “but it’s an eye and you don’t want to mess around with it. I’m going to listen to the doctor and see what he says. But until he gives me the OK, I’m not going to push it.”

Johnson, sixth among the Kings with 13 goals, said his vision is “a little fuzzy but getting better every day.”

He was injured in the first period of Monday night’s 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks when Shark captain Owen Nolan checked him face first into the glass. The force of the impact opened a cut above Johnson’s left eye and tore the retina in his right, which had been damaged two months ago when struck by a high stick by Vitaly Vishnevski of the Ducks.

“At first, I couldn’t see, I had no depth perception,” Johnson said. “I tried to play for like two shifts and I was like, ‘Maybe it’s my head.’”

Doctors, however, ruled out a concussion and, because of the earlier eye injury, sent him to team eye specialist Dr. Howard Lazerson. Lazerson told Johnson he was lucky the retina had not become detached, an injury that would have required additional surgery and probably would have ended his season.

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TODAY

at Phoenix, 4 PST

Fox Sports Net

Site--America West Arena.

Radio--KSPN (1110).

Records--Kings 36-22-9-4, Coyotes 33-24-9-5.

Record vs. Coyotes--0-0-3-1.

Update--The Kings squandered a 4-0 second-period lead and lost in overtime, 6-5, on Feb. 8, their last visit to Phoenix. Kelly Buchberger, sidelined since March 9 because of a sprained right ankle, made the trip, but Eric Belanger, out since Jan. 15 because of a wrist injury, did not.

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Jerry Crowe