Coyotes at Kings

When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Staples Center. TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620). Coyotes update: Center Brad Richardson, who has been sidelined ever since he fractured tibia and fibula bones in his right leg Nov. 17 against the Canucks, won’t play again this season and underwent a successful procedure Friday to remove a couple screws from his leg, coach Dave Tippett said. The team expects Richardson to be ready for training camp. “He pushed hard, but it just wasn’t going the right way for him,” Tippett said. Defenseman Kevin Connauton has a chance to return to the lineup Sunday after missing the last 15 games with an upper-body injury, Tippett said. Goalie Mike Smith could also play against the Kings after backing up Friday because he didn’t feel well. Tippett said the Coyotes would figure out who was starting in net Sunday morning. Kings update: The Kings haven’t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention but with 81 points, it’ll be tough for them to earn a berth. They’ve won two straight, shutting out the Canucks and getting by the but it has been termed a necessary step to integrate these players into a group that the organization hopes will contend in the future.

And that bond among the players appears to be growing off the ice, too.

“Hopefully, these are kind of the core group of guys,” Perlini said. “We can continue to build and have a lot of fun over the next few years.”