Martinez, getting closer, declines to offer “timeline”

Alec Martinez took part in a rigorous Kings practice that contained a significant amount of line rushes followed by drills that incorporated a battle element. Martinez was a part of the battle drills, though for some of the line rushes he skated without a defensive partner. As of now, there is no indicator that would suggest that he’ll play against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, though that could change at tomorrow’s morning skate.

“I thought today was big in terms of the style of practice,” Martinez said. “We had battle drills and all that. To be able to test it that way and kind of play in more of a game-like situation in terms of getting my angles and my reads [was beneficial]. We did some down low play and also some stuff off the rush, just working on gaps. Those are obviously things that you can work on when you’ve got 23 other guys on the ice instead of just you.”

He declined to provide a ballpark of when he might return to the lineup.

“As for a timeline, I still don’t have anything for you,” he said. “The past week I’ve felt better every day, pretty consistently. The first week and a half there, you just have to let it heal and do its thing. So you can’t really do much. It’s gotten better, a little bit better every day. It’s really all I can ask for.”

Martinez has missed seven consecutive games since injuring his little finger when blocking a shot in a loss to Dallas on November 13. He underwent surgery the following morning and began practicing with the Kings during last week’s road trip.

Alec Martinez, on whether it has been difficult to watch games while injured:
It’s not fun at all. When you’re injured, you kind of develop your own schedule. It’s different from the team’s, so it’s real easy to feel like you’re not really a part of it. Obviously no one wants to watch, they want to be out there. You want to help the team and all that. Being injured isn’t any fun, but it’s a part of the game and just take time to reflect on your own game and see what you can do a little bit differently or what you can improve on your game. So once you get back playing with the team, you can help them out. It’s obviously no fun, but we’ve all been through it before.

Martinez, on whether games against top teams are more important than others:
Boston, you only see them twice a year being in the east and their obviously a top team in the east. You’ve got to be up for every game regardless of your opponent. It’s just nice to be back skating with the team again.

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