Mike Richards scored his 12th goal of the season on Thursday but it was also his 10th goal in his last 12 games. The unfortunate part is that Richards it was Richards first game since December 1 as he had been out of action with a concussion. The Kings welcomed him back as with the 3-2 win, they are 14-8-4 with him in their lineup. It was also a nice present for Darryl Sutter who was behind the bench for the first time for the Kings since being hired earlier in the week.

Mike Richards scored in his return to the lineup as the Los Angeles Kings topped the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout 3-2. After missing eight games, Richards did something pretty foreign to the Kings this season. Dustin Brown also scored for the third time in four nights to give him eight goals on the season. Drew Doughty notched two helpers and was a plus-two as he seems to be coming alive lately with four points over his last four games. The win also gave Darryl Sutter his first since coaching Calgary in the 2005-06 season. He will certainly like to see a little more of the same from his key guys in order to improve upon their 15-4-4 record and lift them from the basement of the league's scoring ranks.

The Los Angeles Kings have activated Mike Richards off injured reserve, paving the way for his return to the lineup on Thursday from a concussion. He has missed the past eight games and the Kings will be happy to have their leading goal scorer back. Los Angeles is last in the league in goals for per game with a 2.12 average. Richards has potted 11 markers and added nine assists in 25 games this season.

Mike Richards (concussion) fully participated in Wednesday's practice. Richards might return to the Kings' lineup on Thursday. "I'm cleared to play, so it just depends on my progress today," Richards said on Wednesday. "If I feel good today, I'll play tomorrow."

Mike Richards is skating with the Kings Monday. Richards is also sporting a no-contact jersey, but that's not surprising given that he was still experiencing concussion-like symptoms as recently as late last week. He's been out since December 1st.

Mike Richards is still experiencing concussion-like symptoms, although they don't sound severe. "Yeah, a little bit," Richards said when asked he still had symptoms. "It's hard to distinguish, though, whether it's taking two weeks off and then going out there and skating, or whether it's lingering effects. We're going to take it slow. We're going to skate a couple times and see how I feel after that. I obviously hope to be back sooner than later." Richards took part in the Kings' post-practice skate on Saturday.

Mike Richards (concussion) will join the Kings in Detroit but he isn't expected to play. That Richards is traveling is good news as doctors don't want you to do too much with a concussion, especially fly. He has been out of action since December 1 and is looking forward to practicing with the team. We'll upgrade his status to day-to-day for now.

Mike Richards (concussion) might join his teammates in Detroit (Saturday) or Toronto (Monday) to get into a practice, but he isn't expected to play in either game. He has been out since Dec. 1 following a hit from Florida's Sean Bergenheim, but coach John Stevens feels Richards is coming along in his recovery.

After skating for approximately 10 minutes on Friday, Mike Richards (concussion) was not on the ice at all on Saturday. He is making slow progress in his recovery from a concussion. Richards missed his fourth game Saturday night and will certainly miss his fifth as he will not join the Kings at the beginning of their road trip on Tuesday in Boston. The talented two-way pivot is hoping to join his teammates on the current trip but just to skate. We do not expect Richards to be in the LA lineup for another two weeks at least. Keep him on reserve until further notice.

Mike Richards (concussion) was on the ice for five-to-10 minutes on Friday. That might not sound like much, but it is a step in the right direction. Richards hasn't been given the green light to participate in the Kings' practices, but his doctor was okay with him doing more.