Richards familiar with wing, playing alongside Kopitar

With the injuries up front for the Kings, Mike Richards is returning to left wing alongside Anze Kopitar and will skate opposite Justin Williams for tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers. Though he has played almost exclusively at center in his time in Los Angeles, he’s somewhat familiar on the wing and opened up the 2011-12 season logging some shifts to Kopitar’s left.

“Wing is different from center,” Richards said. “I think the biggest thing is kind of prepare this afternoon and before the game of where I need to be on the ice and what I need to do, and the different challenges that wing presents – getting pucks out on the wall and stuff like that. Once the game starts, I don’t think it’ll be too much. I think Kopi and I read off of each other well. But leading up to the game, I just have to make sure I know what spots I need to be in and what I need to do.”

Mike Richards, on whether there will be an adjustment, or whether it could “come easy”:
I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but it’s one of those things where different people play in different positions. It’s been a while since I’ve played wing, but I’ve played there before in different situations. I’ve played there on the highest levels at the Olympics a couple years ago. It’s not something that I think will be too much of a shock, but it’s just getting mentally ready leading up to the game.

Richards, on being with three different groups of forward through the first four games:
You’d like to play with the same group, but I think chemistry is a big thing on the ice getting used to who you’re playing with. I think playing with Kopi is an easy thing. He’s just so good on the ice and so smart that I think it’d be easy to play with him. [Reporter: You’re out there on the power play with him too.] Three years we’ve been playing with each other. Just being on the same team I think just gets you familiar with each other.

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