LA Kings win 7-6 in Kevin Fiala’s return to Minnesota

Adrian Kempe‘s second goal of the night put the LA Kings back in front for good in the team’s 7-6 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. Cal Petersen started in net, his first of the year, allowing six goals on 35 shots.

Kevin Fiala returned to the Xcel Energy Center after being traded from Minnesota to Los Angeles over the summer. The 26-year-old Swiss-born forward notched two assists and a powerplay goal in the game.

During the first TV timeout, Fiala was honored with a video tribute.

“It was really nice being here, and I appreciate all the support from the fans. It was a great moment for me, and I enjoyed it,” he said.

The Kings jumped out a 3-0 lead in the first period, with Kempe, Gabe Vilardi, and Drew Doughty tallying goals before the Wild answered with two goals of their own.

Alex Iafallo‘s blast from the point somehow got past Marc-Andre Fleury late in the first period, prematurely ending the 37-year-old netminder’s night.

The Kings and Wild traded goals in the second period, with Fiala and Matt Roy tallying their first goals, giving the visitors a 6-4 lead heading into the final intermission.

“It was nice to score the first goal, and the group circling around me, it felt great being on this team,” Fiala said of his first goal.

Minnesota responded with two quick goals in the third period from Mats Zuccarello and Sam Steel before Kempe quieted the home crowd less than 30 seconds later.

Petersen didn’t play his best game, but he made one of his best saves of the night with 6.2 seconds left in regulation on a bouncing puck off the endboards.

POWERPLAY

Neither team was particularly disciplined on Saturday, allowing six powerplay opportunities to the opposition. The Kings scored twice on the man advantage (Doughty, Fiala), while the Wild had three tallies (Eriksson Ek, Kaprizov, Zuccarello).

“I think if you told us that we were going to score seven goals, I would have been jumping for joy. It’s the giving up six that isn’t the ideal recipe. That’s a really hard game to explain,” Kings head coach Todd McLellan said after the game.

UP NEXT

The Kings’ road trip rolls on with a trip to the Motor City on Monday night against the Red Wings.

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