Defenseman Drew Doughty was cleared Tuesday to return to the Los Angeles Kings' lineup after missing six games with an apparent concussion.
A Kings spokesman said Doughty will be activated from injured reserve by Thursday, and will be in the lineup for Los Angeles' home game against Tampa Bay that night.
The 20-year-old Norris Trophy finalist was hurt on an open-ice hit by Carolina's Erik Cole on Oct. 20. He missed the Kings' five-game road trip and last Saturday's home win over New Jersey.
The Kings moved into the overall NHL lead despite missing their star defenseman by winning eight of their first 11 games. Los Angeles won four of six in Doughty's absence.
Doughty, who won a gold medal with the Canadian Olympic team last February, had just one assist in his first five games of the season. He scored 59 points last year in just his second NHL season, becoming the second-youngest Norris finalist in NHL history behind 19-year-old Bobby Orr.
Left wing Scott Parse also is expected to return to the Kings' lineup on Thursday night when they return from a four-day break. Parse was slated to be a top-six forward for the Kings this season despite scoring just 11 goals last year, but injured his groin in Los Angeles' first preseason game. He hasn't played since.
Kings coach Terry Murray said Parse could play on his top line alongside captain Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar.
Earlier Tuesday, the Kings sent forward Andrei Loktionov to their AHL affiliate in Manchester. The Russian had two points in seven games.
