Kings' Kevin Fiala Gets New Gear Since Bench – Hockey Writers – Los Angeles Kings

There is nothing better for a team than to see one of their best players come back after going through some adversity. That was the case with the Los Angeles Kings and forward Kevin Fiala.

Fiala has had a difficult start to the season for many reasons. Throughout the first few games, it looked like he was struggling with the puck and couldn't settle or get comfortable and it showed when he had the puck on his stick in key areas of the ice. He had trouble receiving passes, he was playing pucks in the offensive zone, and he was giving them up rashly. Fiala didn't look like the goofy, confident player everyone knew he could be.

The bar is always set high for Fiala as King and it should be. They paid a premium to get him to the Minnesota Wild back in 2022, giving up not only 2024 Calder Trophy finalist Brock Faber, but also the 19th pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. While his four goals and six points in the first nine games of the season were respectable numbers, more was expected of Fiala, especially given how disjointed he looked on the ice in those first few games.

What caused Fiala to be arrested?

There is something else that has added to Fiala's difficult start to the season and it has nothing to do with what he has been doing with his stick. The 2024-25 Kings have spent an inordinate amount of time in the penalty box and there have been two games where Fiala has continued to put himself in the box by taking indirect, lazy penalties in the attacking zone. Those penalties resulted in head coach Jim Hiller benching him for the entire third period against the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 26.

Related: LA KGame Notes: Full 60 Minute Effort Gains 6-3 Victory Over Golden Knights

Fiala has been regressing and he didn't stop there as he was healthy against the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 29 for missing a party meeting and violating party rules.

It was a sudden accident, according to Fiala who said his iPhone was broken and the alarm he set on his iPad did not go off. “I am fully committed and I have to get better,” said Fiala.

How did Fiala react?

That was a solid foundation for Fiala and the only way he could go from there was up. The Kings quickly changed after being disappointed by the Sharks as they hosted the Vegas Golden Knights the next day where Fiala returned to the lineup. Not only did he return to the ice, but he wasted no time making a positive impact when Amakhosi beat the Golden Knights 6-3 with a goal and an assist.

“It was nice to come back, I got a quick chance to fix it, which happened yesterday, and I'm happy to come back and I'm happy that I can help the team win,” he said.

His performance in the Golden Knights was the beginning as he shed tears since he was benched. That was probably the best thing that happened to him because it seems that he has released this new level that was not seen when the season started.

In the last five games, Fiala has three goals and six points. He is over a point per game and the confidence he has shown with the puck is at a new level with the plays he is making. One thing that is clear about his game right now is his ability to find shooting lanes and put the puck in the net. In these five games, he has scored 17 goals. His total of 44 goals this season ranks in the 94th percentile league wide.

Fiala continues to cook. Laferriere feeds him one time in the power play and Amakhosi lead 2-1. #GoKingsGo

– Raz Devraj (@razdevraj) November 6, 2024

He has been a beast in the offensive zone constantly finding ways to create and finish. The impact he had on the Kings has also been seen by Hiller as his ice time has increased over the past few games. Fiala reached 20-plus minutes for the first time this season against the Chicago Blackhawks and peaked in ice time at 21:30 against the Vancouver Canucks alongside Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.

From an eye test perspective, it's clear how well Fiala has been playing, and his advanced metrics back it up. He leads all Kings in FF% (percentage of any unblocked shot attempts while that player is on the ice for that player's team) at 64.18% and SF% (percentage of complete shots while that player is on the ice for that player's team) at 65.23%. 61.39% of scoring opportunities, when Fiala is on top, favors Amakhosi, and holds the second highest percentage in that category under Alex Turcotte. He also leads the entire team in HDCF% (percentage of high-danger scoring chances while that player is leading on that player's team) with 62.64%. Whether he is the one shooting the puck, or scoring the goal, Amakhosi produce more chances, rather, when he is on the ice.

Fiala had the second most goals and finished second on the team last season. He has and will continue to be very reliable when it comes to offensive production. Hiller choosing to hold Fiala accountable for the ongoing punishments and missing the team meeting was clearly the perfect way for him to handle the situation. Being placed on the bench is on fire under Fiala who came out and proved why he is one of the best players in the Kings team for a long time now.