Matt Greene had a happy return for the Kings on Saturday in Colorado, as he played more than 21 minutes and had a plus-2 rating in the Kings’ win. As he did in that game, Greene will start tonight in a pairing with Willie Mitchell. The second game back can sometimes be tough for a player who has been out for a while — Greene had shoulder surgery in July — but Terry Murray indicated after this morning’s skate that he might try to raise Greene’s ice time tonight. Greene averaged under 18 minutes per game last season, but with Drew Doughty out, the Kings are looking to get big minutes from Greene and Willie Mitchell, who is averaging close to 24 minutes this season.
MURRAY: “That’s one of those scenarios [Saturday] where you’ve been out and you’re anxious to get going. You’re excited about playing and you come back and you pour everything into the game. I thought it was a very emotional game for him. He was very excited in the locker room and he played real heavy, with a lot of physical play and did a tremendous job. I think it was good for him to have the day off yesterday. You come back after that kind of an effort, and the next morning you’re drained physically, and maybe even a little bit emotionally. So it was good for him just to back off and recover.”
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