Injured Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr showing some improvement

Kings defenseman Robyn Regehr, who has been out of the lineup since Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs against Anaheim, said he was hoping to resume skating on Thursday.

That would be the next step in Regehr’s recovery from an undisclosed lower-body injury. The physical veteran defenseman told The Times on Wednesday that he would consult with the doctors later in the day here. If Regehr receives medical clearance, he could hit the ice on Thursday when the Kings return to their practice facility in El Segundo.

Regehr was knocked out of the lineup via a hard hit behind the Kings’ net from Ducks star Teemu Selanne in the first period of Game 1 in Anaheim. With Regehr and Willie Mitchell out in the Anaheim series, that meant an opportunity for defenseman Jeff Schultz, who had not played for the Kings all season, and the return of defenseman Matt Greene, who had played sparingly after the Olympic break.

Mitchell returned for Game 1 here on Sunday and Greene was out again. It was unclear if Greene would be in the lineup for Game 2 on Wednesday. He said he did not know, and Schultz said the same thing about himself, not surprising because that information is closely held during the playoffs.

After Game 2 at United Center there is another two-day break before Game 3 at Staples Center on Saturday.

Kings Coach Darryl Sutter, for his part, was not embracing the extra time off.

“It’s not really regrouping,” Sutter said after Wednesday’s morning skate. “We would have preferred to have played yesterday. Once playoffs start, you want to go every other day, if you can.”