Details on Injuries Elusive

King officials spent more time shuffling the roster, while continuing to stonewall about injuries.

Defenseman Mike Weaver (hip flexor) was placed on injured reserve and defenseman Richard Petiot was recalled from Manchester, their American Hockey League team. The Kings were without forward Dustin Brown for Thursday’s game against Phoenix. Coach Andy Murray refused to say anything about Brown’s condition other than “it’s a bruise.”

Brown said Wednesday that he had a bruise in the chest area. Murray said, “It’s not just the chest,” but as for specifics he said only, “it’s not the neck and not the shoulder.”

Brown said he would skate today but would probably miss Saturday’s game at San Jose. He hoped to be in the lineup Monday against the Mighty Ducks.

The tight-fisted control on information, normally reserved for the playoffs, comes as the injuries mount. The Kings were without eight players Thursday, with Sean Avery returning to the lineup after missing one game with what was believed to be a shoulder injury.

The Kings had five players in the lineup Thursday who started the season in the minor leagues, plus two more as healthy scratches who came from Manchester this last week.

The rash of injuries has made for quite a few early days for players and staff.

Murray’s policy has always been that injured players have to report at 7 a.m. and rarely remain for practice, although Murray said, “We don’t tell them they can’t come to practice.” The increasing number of injuries just “makes it a practicality thing,” Murray said.

Still, there is a sense of out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Even Murray admitted a “small reason” is to prevent players from being distracted by injured players.

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Lauri Tukonen, the Kings’ first-round pick in 2004, scored the game-winning goal for Finland in a 4-2 victory over the United States in the third-place game of the World Junior Championships on Thursday.