If you’re an NHL coach, how do you know when just about everything is going well with your team? Well, you plug in your backup goaltender to face one the NHL’s hottest teams — i.e. a Minnesota Wild group that had won three straight games and hadn’t lost on home ice this season — and he gives up just one goal.
Not enough?
How about, you lose your top line left wing after a hit the night before, and you plug in a forward who hasn’t played in three games — somebody who is considered largely to be a fourth line guy — and you just slide him in at LW1.
Then, you get two goals from a 37-year-old. Oh, and Quinton Byfield scored his first goal of the 2024-25 campaign.
Just about everything went right for Hiller’s group on Tuesday night, including going a perfect 4-for-4 on penalty kill and winning 52% of the faceoffs.
Nearly lost in all the above storylines were the continued contributions from Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala. The former scored his fifth goal since signing with the Kings over the summer. He’s far outpacing his career best numbers (20 goals) by quietly running at a near 30-goal pace.
Meanwhile, Fiala recorded his seventh goal of the season, extending his point streak to a fifth game (3G, 4A).
Speaking of streaks, since their no-show in San Jose a week ago, the Kings have gone on to claim seven of the available eight points. This has been their best stretch of hockey thus far in the young season, with a level of focus and determination showing up throughout the lineup.
With Wednesday being a scheduled day off for the team, no further updates are available on Turcotte at this time. Perhaps Hiller will have something to share at Thursday’s morning skate in advance of LA hosting Vegas at Crypto.com Arena later that evening.
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