Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play Saturday night versus the Nashville Predators, according to Kings reporter Zach Dooley.
Fiala left Thursday’s 5-2 win over Colorado in the third period after colliding knee-on-knee with Avalanche forward Andrew Cogliano. Fiala was able to return to the game but didn’t get back on the ice for what appeared to be precautionary reasons. He logged one assist and one shot with 9:57 of ice time.
The 26-year-old winger has registered a team-leading 68 points (22 goals, 46 assists) in 66 games played this season. He has one goal and four assists over his last five games. He ranks first among the Kings in assists and tied for third in the goals department with Gabriel Vilardi. He’s also picked up seven power-play goals and 16 assists on the powerplay this season. Fiala was named to Team Pacific at this year’s NHL All-Star Game, marking his first NHL All-Star appearance.
Fiala joined the Kings this season after being acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Brock Faber and a 2022 first-round selection (Liam Ohgren). Fiala signed a seven-year, $55 million contract with the Kings; the contract has an average annual value of $7.8 million and runs through 2028-29. The Swiss product was originally drafted 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2014 NHL Draft. He was dealt from the Predators to the Wild in 2019 for Mikael Granlund. Last season, he set career highs with 32 goals, 52 assists and 85 points in 82 games. Throughout his nine-year career so far, he has appeared in 485 games totaling 146 goals and 205 assists for 51 points.
The Kings sit tied for first with the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division with a record of 38-20-8 and a points percentage of .636%. Fiala could return to the lineup Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
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