Kings’ Brad Richardson has emergency appendectomy

The Kings will be starting the playoffs without forward Brad Richardson, who on Monday required an emergency appendectomy. They recalled Andrei Loktionovfrom their minor league affiliate in Manchester, N.H., and the forward will meet them in Vancouver, Canada.

Game 1 of the Kings-Canucks first-round playoff series is on Wednesday night at Rogers Arena. Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said they would not have Richardson “for a while.”

Sutter was asked when Richardson started feeling symptoms.

“He had them the last couple of days and yesterday morning I told him to stay off the ice,” Sutter said Tuesday after practice in El Segundo. “We thought it was groin-related, or stomach muscle-related. He had his ultrasound yesterday afternoon.… I know how he feels, I had that four, five years ago when I was at the Saddledome” in Calgary.

“I told him, ‘Nothing you can do about that.’ It’s better to have it out than to have it rupture because it’s not about hockey.”

Richardson got back into the lineup when forward Jeff Carter injured his ankle and missed the final five games of the regular season. In those five games, playing on a line with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, Richardson had two goals and one assist. He finished with five goals and eight points in 59 games this season.

Loktionov, who was sent to Manchester on Feb. 24 because of the surplus of centers, had three goals and seven points in 39 games this season with the Kings.

Carter appears ready to go for Game 1. On Tuesday, he was working with the No. 1 power-play unit before practice. Carter also took part in practice Monday, and Sutter said, “He was better today than he was yesterday.”

Said Carter: “The first couple of strides, the first couple are a little sore. But once I actually get moving, I’m all right. It should be fine. I feel like I’m getting better and I can contribute something.”

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Kings’ Brad Richardson has emergency appendectomy