Kings getting a lift from Brad Richardson

If withholding playing time is a coach’s ultimate weapon, Terry Murray used his arsenal well in benching forward Brad Richardson for four games.

Richardson played with a lot of energy Thursday against the New York Rangers, earning an assist by digging the puck out of the corner after taking a helmet-rattling hit and getting the puck to Matt Greene. His grit and ability to bring much-needed speed up front earned Richardson a chance to play again Saturday against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum.

Richardson began Thursday’s 4-3 shootout loss on the fourth line but finished on a line with Anze Kopitar and Wayne Simmonds, and that’s where Murray plans to use him against the Islanders. Michal Handzus moved back to center between Kyle Clifford and Dustin Brown.

“Any time you’re in the lineup you want people to notice you’re playing well. It doesn’t matter if you’re in or out but obviously I wasn’t happy about being out of the lineup,” Richardson said Friday after the Kings practiced at the Nassau Coliseum. “Everyone wants to play but I know I haven’t played my best in certain games, but hopefully I can turn that around.”

The mission Murray set for him was simple.

“He wanted me to carry the puck more, using my speed,” Richardson said. “So those are things I tried to key on [Thursday] night and in practice and in watching some of the games I’ve sat out for, is just trying to do those things. I was just trying to get open every time I could and get the puck and skate with it. Kind of like he’s looking for with [Jarret Stoll], to carry the puck more and build plays with speed and separation.”

Murray said he liked Richardson’s overall game, not just the setup on Greene’s goal.

“I thought he was fast to the puck, he had real attitude to get in there first and be strong on it and I like that,” Murray said. “I think with he and Simmonds on the wing and more offensive-zone play where again we’re recovering those pucks faster, we’re in on the forecheck to get it stopped, and it seems like when I would go back in my memory bank as to that line being together last year, it was successful. There were good things happening. I remember talking about bringing the work back to the line. That’s part of the reason; other part is speed.”

Home-ice advantage for Rob Scuderi

Defenseman Rob Scuderi grew up in the Long Island town of Bethpage, about 10 minutes from the Nassau Coliseum, and he spent more than a few hours of his youth in the arena.

The 32-year-old was “a little young” to remember the Islanders’ four consecutive Stanley Cup championship teams from 1980 through 1983. “But they still had good teams the following years. Like Pat LaFontaine was new when I was starting to watch,” Scuderi said. “Denis Potvin’s my favorite player. It might have been toward the end of his career but he was still a very good player. They might not have been winning Cups but they were still very good teams.”

A handful of other Long Island kids have made it to the NHL, including Chris Higgins, Mike Komisarek and Eric Nystrom. “I think really the good Islander teams are what started all the youth hockey around here,” Scuderi said. “I don’t think it would have started without them being so good. It’s not a surprise to see, 25 or 30 years later, some talent coming out of the area.”

Scuderi also said his parents, who live in the same house where he grew up, and his wife’s parents will attend Saturday’s game.

Slap Shots

Defensemen Willie Mitchell and Jack Johnson missed Friday’s practice for a therapy day but are expected to play Saturday.

“Willie got a bruise in the start of the game [Thursday], and Jack just got into a situation where he was pushing off on a guy. He was kind of bent over and had a guy on him and he tried to stand up straight and a little bit of a strain there,” Murray said.

He said Johnson’s strain is to the lower body. Which narrows things down.

Rookie Andrei Loktionov, who appeared to be getting comfortable at center, isn’t likely to play Saturday while Murray leans toward a fourth line of Alexei Ponikarovsky, Trevor Lewis and Kevin Westgarth.

Murray said he thought Thursday’s hard-hitting game “got a little heavy” for Loktionov. “There are situations right now that it’s happening a little too fast,” Murray said. “In the middle of the ice, though, he’s good. He always comes back, tracking back, he is very strong on his stick. He did recover some pucks [Thursday] night just on what I call stealing the puck from behind.

“But in other areas there’s just some other stuff that’s happening and that’s not what I want to see right now. Just coming too fast for him, maybe. Long road trip. Intense play. Everything is just exposing him in some situations that are kind of a constant for me. . . . I’m going to back away here probably [Saturday] and get a more experienced player in that situation.”

helene.elliott@latimes.com

twitter.com/helenenothelen