Anze Kopitar skated for about an hour before his teammates hit the ice for their workout Tuesday. Kopitar suffered no setbacks after consecutive days of skating, according to Kings coach Darryl Sutter. Kopitar wore a brace to protect his sprained knee and he performed only light drills, as he did when he skated for 30 minutes Monday..

“There are certain steps or stages,” Sutter said, describing Kopitar’s rehabilitation and recovery from an injury suffered while he was playing in Sweden during the lockout. “He hasn’t done stops and starts and he hasn’t had contact. It’s one step at a time, one day at a time. We’ll see how he feels in the morning.”

Participating in contact drills is likely to be the last step before Kopitar plays in a game.

Jeff Carter moved from the wing to center in Kopitar’s absence during the first few days of training camp and skated between wingers Dustin Penner and Justin Williams with Mike Richards skating between wingers Brown and Simon Gagne.

The Kings don’t expect Kopitar to play in their season opener Saturday.