Laperriere Finds Sitting Out Is Hard to Accept

A frustrated Ian Laperriere, who suffered a back injury during the Kings’ morning skate Thursday at Edmonton, Canada, didn’t even make it that far Saturday and sat out for the second consecutive game.

“Trust me,” said the feisty winger, “I didn’t come up here just to sit and watch.” But that’s what he did after his back stiffened Thursday morning.

“All of a sudden, it just didn’t feel right,” he said. “Sometimes you get some soreness in the morning. I thought it was going to go away in the afternoon, but it didn’t. It’s a little bit better today, but not good enough to play, especially my game. I can’t go out there and fool around. I’ve got to play physical.”

It wasn’t easy for him to sit out.

“It’s a crucial time,” said Laperriere, who expects to be back in the lineup Wednesday night against the Mighty Ducks at Arrowhead Pond. “I want to be there. These are big games for us. We’ve got to get back on track.”

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Defenseman Aaron Miller, expected to be sidelined four to six weeks after breaking his left foot Dec. 11, resumed skating Friday and is on schedule to return to the lineup “probably in a week to 10 days,” Coach Andy Murray said.

King rookie Alexander Frolov was picked to play in the NHL YoungStars game on Feb. 1, which is part of the NHL All-Star game festivities at Sunrise, Fla., on Feb. 2.

Rookies Jared Aulin and Joe Corvo and prospect Tomas Zizka have been selected to play in the American Hockey League All-Star game on Feb. 3 at Portland, Maine.