Straka, Brown Back at Practice

King mathematics, version 2003-04, has been rife with subtractions and deletions, many more minuses than pluses in a season that makes the term “walking wounded” seem pedestrian.

It was surprising then, if not something more, that two injured Kings returned to practice on the same day, forwards Martin Straka and Dustin Brown skating Thursday among a small group of players at HealthSouth Training Center.

Neither Straka nor Brown is expected to play Saturday or Sunday against the Mighty Ducks, King General Manager Dave Taylor said. But next Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Wild could be a different story.

“They’re cleared for full practice [today], but it’ll take a few days of practice for us to assess where they are,” Taylor said. “As much as they’ve been skating, it’s been on their own. They haven’t had any contact.”

Straka has sat out 21 games because of injured cartilage in both knees. He had six goals and five assists in 18 games with the Kings after being acquired Nov. 30 from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Brown, a rookie who has embraced physical play and shown a willingness to bang in the corners, has sat out 11 games since aggravating a severely sprained left ankle.

Not all the injury updates, however, were positive.

Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky is still weeks away from returning after a strength test showed he has less than half the power in his right shoulder necessary to return to the ice.

Visnovsky, out since Jan. 31 because of a pinched nerve that runs through his neck and shoulder area, said he registered only 38% strength in his right shoulder, far short of the 80% needed to start skating again.

“This is the first injury that’s a little bit different for me,” said Visnovsky, among the league’s highest-scoring defensemen before he was checked headfirst into the boards by the Oilers’ Ethan Moreau. “Maybe it’s two to three more weeks. Maybe more. I just don’t know.”

Visnovsky, who has 25 points in 47 games, has been staying in shape by riding an exercise bike 30 to 40 minutes a day.

“My legs feel good,” he said. “My shoulder, I don’t have power.”

Defenseman Aaron Miller, out since Dec. 10 because of a pinched nerve in his neck, said he expected to pass a similar strength test today for his right shoulder.

“I’m seeing a little light,” Miller said. “Hopefully everything goes well. I’m sick and tired of watching. My original time frame was a week to 10 days. Obviously, the extent of the injury wasn’t known.”

Miller, more so than Visnovsky, will need to get in shape if he passes the strength test.

“I haven’t skated hard in nine weeks,” Miller said. “It’s a matter of getting myself into some semblance of shape and then getting out there.”

The Kings have managed to keep things together defensively, but Miller’s return would add a physical presence to the blue line and would help the Kings’ penalty killing, which was in a three-way tie for 27th before Thursday’s games.