Michael Cammalleri’s rib injury is more like Jason LaBarbera’s than previously thought. When Cammalleri hurt his ribs Dec. 22 in Nashville, he thought it was just a bruise. He even tried to skate before the next game but knew as soon as he got on the ice that he couldn’t go. Now the Kings are saying the injury is a cartilage strain.

“It’s more like LaBarbera’s injury,” Crawford said. “If anything, it’s a little deeper. He’s doing two treatments a day and getting as much exercise as he can in the limited things he can do. It’s a slow-to-heal injury because, when you have those cartilage types of problems, it affects everything you do from breathing to moving.”

Cammalleri will miss his fifth consecutve game tonight against Columbus and isn’t yet ready to set any timeframe on his return.

“Initially, I was hoping I could play right away,” Cammalleri said. “After trying a little bit, obviously it hasn’t been that way.”

LaBarbera missed two weeks of play with his injury early last month.

“It sounds like from talking to him its similar to what I had,” LaBarbera said. “I know what hes going through. Its pretty painful. Hopefully he can get better because we need him back. I would imagine being hit probably wouldnt feel that good. For me, it was more about twisting and being more flexible. For him, battling in corner and being strong on the puck is a big part of his game. If it’s in the back of his mind that his ribs arent 100 percent, I’m sure it would affect his play.”