EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- It's not the way Alec Martinez wanted to get back into the Los Angeles Kings lineup, but he's trying to make the most of his opportunity.
Los Angeles went down to six available defensemen when Matt Greene sustained an undisclosed injury, so the Kings had little choice but to insert Martinez back in the lineup. After he was scratched for the previous seven games, Martinez played Thursday and will be back in Saturday night when L.A. hosts the Vancouver Canucks.
"Obviously it's unfortunate that we've got other guys getting hurt but I think we've got a lot of depth in this room and injuries are going to happen," Martinez said. "You need to be able to rely on those players when it does happen. I'm just trying to play my game and help the team win."
Martinez played more than 14 minutes and saw time on the power play but he didn't give himself a passing grade.
"I felt OK," he said. "My wind and everything was good. I'm working hard and staying in shape. I think I can play better than I did the last game."
Vancouver started their four-game road trip with a 1-0-1 record after beating the San Jose Sharks 4-2 Thursday to snap a nine-game losing streak to them. The Canucks held an optional skate Saturday at Staples Center, which gave a number of players a little extra time off. That group includes Daniel Sedin, who was given the day off practice Friday after his seven-game point streak was snapped in San Jose.
Here are the projected lineups for the Canucks and Kings:
CANUCKS
Ryan Kesler - Henrik Sedin - Daniel Sedin
Chris Higgins - Mike Santorelli - Alexandre Burrows
Zack Kassian - Brad Richardson - Darren Archibald
Tom Sestito - Jeremy Welsh - Zac Dalpe
Jason Garrison - Alexander Edler
Dan Hamhuis - Christopher Tanev
KINGS
Dustin Brown – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Dwight King – Mike Richards – Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford - Trevor Lewis – Matt Frattin
Daniel Carcillo – Linden Vey/Colin Fraser – Jordan Nolan
Willie Mitchell – Alec Martinez
Injured: Jeff Carter (foot), Jarret Stoll (upper body), Matt Greene (undisclosed).
NOTES: Quick was off the ice first. He will make his 10th start in the past 11 games. Vey and Fraser each came off the ice late so it's not clear who will sit out. Vey made his NHL debut Thursday and coach Darryl Sutter mentioned he struggled at times.
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