EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala will make his season debut on Thursday night against the New York Islanders, playing for the first time since breaking his left leg at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Fiala was injured playing for Switzerland in a preliminary round game on February 13, causing him to miss the second half of the NHL season. He then missed training camp and the start of this season after undergoing a follow-up surgery in September.
The Kings are struggling to score, having been held to two goals or fewer in nine of their past 14 games. They are 0-8-1 in those contests and hope the return of Fiala could help address that lack of offense. Fiala had 18 goals and 22 assists in 56 games last season and is expected to play on the second line with center Quinton Byfield and forward Mats Zuccarello.
“Kevin’s been on the ice for a while now, and his game, his conditioning, his ability to create, it looks good to me out there,” coach Peter Laviolette said after practice Thursday.
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