Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar will return to the lineup after missing the past five games with an upper-body injury. Kopitar participated in full at practice on Tuesday and took line rushes at the morning skate on Wednesday. Although Kopitar only has two goals this season, he plays a bigger role on the ice than that of a scorer. "He's one of the best players in the world, so he does things that only a small percentage of players can do," forward Nic Dowd said. "It's fun to watch but he's also a leader by example. He goes out there and he plays hard every game, he's blocking shots, he's winning big-time faceoffs, killing penalties and playing a lot of minutes." In Kopitar's absence, Jeff Carter has stepped up with four goals and two assists in the past three games. "[Kopitar] is a quieter guy, but he doesn't need to say a whole lot," Dowd said. "Him and Carter are definitely lugging the mail."
