As the crucial Game 4 of the Western  Conference finals between the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings prepare to square off Thursday night, the Kings have received word that they'll be slightly shorthanded.

Kings star center Mike Richards will miss a third straight game Thursday due to a concussion.

"He didn't skate today, so he won't play tonight," Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said Thursday morning as his team prepared for Game 4 at Staples Center.

Richards skated for the first time on Wednesday while at the team's facility, but obviously didn't feel well enough on Thursday morning to take another crack at returning for an actual game.

"The protocol is very clear, you've covered enough concussions surely, you know the protocol," Sutter said to a reporter during the media briefing.

The Blackhawks currently hold a 2-1 series lead and could take control with a Game 4 win, but with Duncan Keith serving a one-game suspension for high-sticking Los Angeles' Jeff Carter, it'll be tough for the Blackhawks to pull out a victory.

Keith is highly important to the Blackhawks, easily the only player on the roster with the most minutes and is currently ranking third in playoff scoring with 10 points.

"I said my piece," Keith said before the suspension. "Said the same thing last night, that it was an accident, and I didn't mean to get him where I got him."

Keith is classified by the NHL as a repeat offender -- a factor in suspension decisions -- after elbowing Vancouver's Daniel Sedin in the head late last season, sidelining Sedin well into the playoffs.

Sheldon Brookbank, the likely candidate to take Keith's place in the Blackhawks' lineup, hasn't played in the postseason.

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