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Visnovsky Probably Won’t Play Against Flames

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Times Staff Writer

King defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, who left the ice on a stretcher in the Kings’ 4-3 victory Saturday over the Edmonton Oilers, said Sunday he feels discomfort in his neck and shoulder and does not think he will play Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.

Visnovsky went head-first into the boards after he was checked cleanly by Edmonton forward Ethan Moreau in the second period. Visnovsky joined the team for its bus ride to Calgary after X-rays were negative. He will be evaluated further today.

“I’ve got stiff muscles, and I don’t feel my shoulder,” said Visnovsky, who said he probably would not return until after the All-Star break. “It’s very stiff right now.”

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After Tuesday, the Kings do not play until a Feb. 10 road game against the Minnesota Wild.

Visnovsky, who has a team-high plus-14 rating and leads King defensemen with 25 points, suffered a strained neck two weeks ago but did not sit out any games. He sat out six games in December because of a concussion.

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With a rare two days off between road games, the Kings reveled in Saturday’s come-from-behind victory, at least for one extra day.

Derek Armstrong was credited with the game-tying goal with 1:10 left, and Jason Holland scored the winner on a rebound with 5.5 seconds left, providing a different outcome for a team that has been on the losing end of several comebacks.

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The Kings have five overtime losses, tied for second-most in the NHL, and have lost in the last two minutes in two other games.

“It happened to us so many times this year, it’s about time we got some luck on our side,” center Eric Belanger said.

With the victory, the injury-ravaged Kings improved to 5-1-2 since ending a 14-game winless streak.

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