Injured Kings defenseman Matt Greene to miss upcoming four-game trip

Monday night’s nasty fight-filled game against the Vancouver Canucks took its toll on the Kings after all, with defenseman Matt Greene going out of the lineup with an undisclosed upper body injury.

Greene will not be accompanying the team on its upcoming four-game trip that begins Thursday in St. Louis against the high-flying Blues, according to Kings GM Dean Lombardi.

He was injured in the second period of a game that produced 109 penalty minutes during a fight with Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa. The two tangled after Bieksa took a shot at Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick during a Vancouver power play. Greene took exception to the contact, instigated a fight and eventually body-slammed Bieksa to the ice.

Greene received a total of 17 minutes in penalties on the play, but did not return to the bench when he was eligible to return in the third period.

Afterward, Kings Coach Darryl Sutter was coy about what happened, saying that he saw Greene in street clothes and didn’t know the extent of the injury.

The Kings were off Tuesday and practice at El Segundo on Wednesday.

Greene had been a healthy scratch the previous four games. Earlier this season he missed significant time with a concussion. Defenseman Alec Martinez, who was the odd man out against the Canucks, will likely return against the Blues.

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