Kevin Fiala is showing signs of realizing his potential. The 23-year-old forward delivered a stellar performance with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
Fiala, known for his speed and slick skills, has recently found his stride, benefiting from his new role on Minnesota’s top line.
“I hope he can be like this every night. If he can, then great, he’s come of age,” said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. “Right now, he’s in a good place, and I don’t want to bug him.”
Fiala, who was acquired last season from Nashville in a trade for Mikael Granlund, now has five goals and five assists in his last five games.
“A bigger family is feeling this year; we’re closer and having more fun,” Fiala said.
Joel Eriksson Ek, Jared Spurgeon, and Zach Parise scored power-play goals for Minnesota, leading the NHL with 15 power-play goals in their last 11 games. Parise has six of those, leading the league in that span. The Wild’s power play has been particularly dominant at home, converting nearly 29% of the time.
Goaltender Alex Stalock stopped all 26 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season, further solidifying his push to become Minnesota’s top goalie.
Vegas, which had scored 12 goals in its previous two games, couldn’t find the back of the net.
“They were hungrier around our net,” said Vegas coach Peter DeBoer.
Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves before being pulled after two periods, with Malcolm Subban replacing him in the third.
The Wild capitalized early on their first power play, as Eriksson Ek knocked in his first career power-play goal. Spurgeon added a second goal later in the first period, capitalizing on a rebound after a shot from Fiala.
Vegas has now allowed 62 first-period goals this season, a concerning trend for the team.
Despite the recent trade of popular player Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh, the Wild didn’t miss a beat, securing their seventh win in 10 games.
Golden Knights center William Karlsson returned after missing eight games with an upper-body injury, logging 22 shifts and registering three shots. Despite his solid performance, DeBoer challenged the rest of the team: “A guy that’s been out that long shouldn’t be our best player.”
Game Notes:
- Minnesota’s Alex Stalock has won three straight starts and has appeared in more games than fellow goalie Devan Dubnyk this season.
- The Golden Knights are now four points ahead of Minnesota in the Western Conference standings, but the Wild have played two fewer games.
Up Next:
- Golden Knights: Host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night to begin a five-game homestand.
- Wild: On Thursday night, the Wild will host the New York Rangers, continuing their stretch of home games at the Xcel Energy Center.
