The Kings have had a significant hole on their back end since Drew Doughty suffered a knee injury late last month although, to their credit, they’ve managed to post a 7-4-1 record without him. At the time, it was announced that he was expected to miss at least eight weeks. It appears he is well ahead of schedule as NHL.com’s Dan Greenspan mentions that the veteran defenseman was back at practice on Friday, albeit in a non-contact sweater. The club was hoping he’d be able to resume skating at the six-week mark so he’s a couple of weeks ahead of schedule on that front. Head coach Todd McLellan cautioned that Doughty will need some time before he’s ready to play but it certainly looks like he could be suiting up for Los Angeles a little sooner than expected.
More from the Pacific:
- The Golden Knights were without Shea Theodore in Thursday’s victory over Detroit but it doesn’t appear as if he’ll be out for too long. Head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters including David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that while there was no timeline for his return, he is progressing well and was supposed to get a full practice in Friday. Theodore hit his head off the boards on Tuesday and at this point, it seems like he’ll be listed as day-to-day.
- Oilers center Derek Ryan is listed as day-to-day with concussion-like symptoms, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The veteran played just under nine minutes versus Winnipeg on Thursday and has just one goal in 15 games so far this season. He’s not expected to be available tonight but he may be available to return at some point during their upcoming three-game road trip that starts on Tuesday.
GKG!