Why is Anze Kopitar smiling? Ryan Smyth is back at practice

Anze Kopitar didn’t paint a welcome sign for Ryan Smyth or roll out a red carpet when his left wing returned to practice Monday after missing 15 games because of a rib injury.

“No, he hasn’t yet,” Smyth said, laughing.

He still should.

Without Smyth, who was injured on Nov. 16, Kopitar wasn’t the same -- and wasn’t in the same spots around the net. In the 22 games they played before Smyth was hurt, Kopitar had 14 goals and 32 points and inspired talk of scoring titles and most valuable player awards. In the 15 games Smyth missed Kopitar had two goals and six points and dropped from first to 10th in scoring.

That explains Kopitar’s ear-to-ear grin Monday as he, Smyth and right wing Justin Williams renewed acquaintances and stayed on the ice after practice to work on the timing of their passing and shooting.

“I think Kopi, as much as anybody -- maybe next to me -- is as happy to see him back,” Coach Terry Murray said. “He clearly was playing some great hockey with [Smyth] at the start.”

And some less-than-great hockey without Smyth to draw him to the net.

“When a guy like that is out of the lineup it’s always fun when the guy gets back,” Kopitar said. “We’re back on the same line and I thought it was pretty good in the practice today. He didn’t miss much. I guess he missed six weeks but he’s still pretty good. I think he’s still got it.”

Yes, he probably does.

“I think it was just good for him to get back playing with us. Not with us,” Williams said, gesturing toward his line mates, “with the team. He’s been by himself and not really around the guys very much. You feel isolated sometimes when you get hurt. It makes him happy to be out with the guys practicing and being able to hit guys.”

Smythready to play Saturday, when the Kings resume play at Glendale, Ariz., after a rare but useful eight-day break in the schedule.

“It felt good to be out there with the guys and knowing there’s a little light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that Saturday is coming right around the corner,” he said. “So it’s exciting. Playing on a regular line and getting back to moving the puck again, it’s just a matter of getting into a game situation.”

Some of his frustration while unable to play was eased by the Kings’ overall success. After losing three of their first four games after he left the lineup they got clutch performances from a number of players to compile a 9-5-1 record during his absence.

“That’s huge. Any time a team fights through injuries the way that they have, it’s phenomenal,” Smyth said. “To maintain a good position in the standings is huge. I think it’s important as we go forward. Injuries play a factor in every team. You’ve just got to continue to find a way to get wins to benefit yourself in the long run.”

Wayne’s world

Right wing Wayne Simmonds, who underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee last Monday, also returned to the ice Monday at El Segundo.

That was a surprise given the recent date of his surgery. But Simmonds, who skated alongside Teddy Purcell and Brad Richardson, said the doctor found less damage than expected and had little work to do.

“He just cut the piece off that was torn,” Simmonds said. “Cardio-wise I think I’ve got a bit to do but beside that it feels good.”

He said he had problems with his knee before -- it locked up once while he was playing junior hockey -- and was uncertain what would happen this time.

“This is the best-case situation right now,” said Simmonds, who has nine goals and 20 points in 33 games. “I missed four games so far and we still have a bit of a ways to go until the 26th and our next game so hopefully I can be back.”

Medical report, part three

Right wing Brandon Segal, who sustained what’s believed to be an ankle injury on Dec. 2, also skated Monday. His status for Saturday is unclear.

“We’ll see how it feels each day,” he said.

Defenseman Jack Johnson, who was hit in the foot by a shot last Tuesday and missed last Thursday’s game, practiced as normal on Monday. However, Jarret Stoll (groin) and Randy Jones (stiff neck) did not practice.

Murray said Stoll must “continue to get stronger, do the off-ice rehab part of it before he can get on the ice. I guess it’s day to day.”

He also said the word “concussion” has not been mentioned in Jones’ case, though Murray said Jones also has whiplash from his collision with Edmonton’s Dustin Penner last Tuesday.

“When he was riding the bike and he gets his heart rate up to 150-plus, that’s when he’s having some issues,” Murray said.

He said Jones would be examined by a team doctor to pinpoint the cause of the defenseman’s problems.

Olympic choices

Rosters for some of the 12 teams that will compete in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament in Vancouver will be announced this week, but Canada and the U.S. will not announce theirs until Dec. 30 and Jan. 1, respectively.

Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi, part of the committee working with Team USA boss Brian Burke to choose the 23-man roster, met with his colleagues last week and will chat with them again this week.

He wouldn’t confirm it, but all indications point to the Kings having three players on Team USA: Johnson, right wing Dustin Brown and goaltender Jonathan Quick.

Slap shots

Lombardi also said the Kings had agreed in principle to an entry-level contract with junior prospect Jacob Muzzin, as first reported by Canada’s TSN. Muzzin is the top scoring defenseman in the Ontario Hockey League. . . . To the list of four Kings who have played in the U.S. Hockey League add one: Matt Greene, who played for Green Bay in the 2000-01 season. Brian Werger of the USHL, a Tier-1 league that allows players to retain their NCAA eligibility and go on to play in college, had previously listed Teddy Purcell, Davis Drewiske, Alec Martinez and Corey Elkins, as well as minor-leaguer Trevor Lewis.

helene.elliott@latimes.com

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