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The Kings' best player, center Anze Kopitar, broke his ankle during this afternoon's win at Staples Center — and just like that the team's chances of going deep in the NHL playoffs suffered a big blow. The Kings' offensive talent was already marginal compared to most other playoff teams, and losing their number one center for six weeks or so poses a real challenge. "No other team is going to feel sorry for us," Kings captain Dustin Brown said after the game. “We’ll maybe find out what we’re made of." The Kings had already lost Kopitar's linemate, Justin Williams, due to a dislocated shoulder.
Earlier this month, the 23-year-old Slovenian broke the Kings' franchise record for durability and Saturday's game was his 330th without missing time to injury.
Kopitar photo: The Hockey Junkies