Robitaille Maps Course for Return

One day after undergoing surgery to repair a right groin/abdominal injury, left wing Luc Robitaille said Tuesday he hopes to return to the lineup before the playoffs.

“If I do everything I’m supposed to in rehab, I should be ready to play again with one week left in the regular season,” said Robitaille, 32, the Kings’ third-leading scorer with 16 goals and 39 points.

Although he suffered the injury against the Mighty Ducks on Feb. 7, Robitaille said he’d had pain in the area nearly three weeks before but because he had never experienced this type of injury kept playing.

“It was getting worse every game, and then [against the Ducks] it got to the point where I couldn’t move,” Robitaille said. “At first, we figured that I would be OK with three weeks of therapy during the Olympic break. But when I tried to skate [in the days leading up to the Kings’ game at Detroit on Feb. 25], I couldn’t go. I think [having surgery] was definitely the right thing to do.”

What helped in making the decision was that a few King players--Craig Johnson, Stephane Fiset and Vladimir Tsyplakov--already had recovered from similar surgery without problems.

“Talking [to his teammates] helped,” said Robitaille, who missed the final 13 games with the New York Rangers last season because of a broken foot. “The bottom line is that I wanted to know that everything is fixed and that I will be able to return well rested.”

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Goaltender Fiset went through a light workout Tuesday but is still experiencing some problems with a groin strain--not related to his surgery--that forced him to sit out Monday night’s 2-2 tie with Vancouver. Frederic Chabot, who has been recalled from the minors four times this season, will remain with the team until Fiset is cleared to return. General Manager Dave Taylor said the Kings probably will recall winger Vitali Yachmenev from Long Beach of the International Hockey League once a place opens on the 24-man roster.