After 9-point week, Wild's Kevin Fiala named NHL First Star
Kevin Fiala #22 of the Minnesota Wild skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 28, 2020 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. ((Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - Kevin Fiala is on an offensive tear lately for the Minnesota Wild, enough so that he was honored Monday by the NHL as they continue to push for a playoff spot not far removed from a sudden coaching change.
Fiala had four multi-point games last week, finished with nine points and led the NHL in goals as the Wild finished 3-1 to get within one point of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference playoff race. He was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week as his old team, the Nashville Predators, comes to Xcel Energy Center Tuesday night in a game with future playoff implications for both teams.
It’s been about a year since Paul Fenton, the Wild general manager at the time and the man who drafted Fiala to Nashville in 2014, brought him to Minnesota in a trade. Fiala said Monday he needed a change of scenery.
“I feel very confident with this group. Everybody loves each other, we’re a big family. There’s no, I don’t have to be scared to be myself. That helps me to be my best, that everybody accepts me how I am and that’s very positive for me. It helps me. It took time to know everybody and now I feel very confident here for sure,” Fiala said after Monday’s practice.
Fiala has scored in four straight games, including the game-winner in a 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets last week. He also had five assists last week. His recent surge has him in the team lead with a career-high 49 points through 60 games. His 29 assists and 20 goals are both second on the Wild.
He’s the third player in Wild history with multi-point games in four straight games, joining Marion Gaborik and Brian Rolston.
“I think it’s awesome. I think Kevin has made great strides, I think he deserves all the recognition he’s getting,” Wild interim coach Dean Evason said. I think if you ask Kevin, he’ll tell you that it’s a lot because of his teammates and everybody has played well around him. It’s great.
A lot has changed since Fiala arrived to the Wild. Bill Guerin replaced Fenton as the general manager, and Evason has replaced Bruce Boudreau as head coach.
Fiala has made some of his own changes, saying he moved from St. Paul to his own apartment in Minneapolis. The Switzerland native is still adjusting to life in Minnesota, but his focus is on trying to get the Wild to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after they missed the postseason last year for the first time in six seasons.
He said himself Monday he didn’t play up to his own standards with the Predators before being traded last season. He had 32 points in 64 games, coming off a 2017-18 season where he had 48 points in 80 games. He’s making the most of getting an opportunity to play on a nightly basis.
“I was 21 years old so that’s pretty young. I just had to figure things out, how to do it again. There was tough days for sure, but in my heart I always knew I could do it again,” Fiala said.
“How he’s doing it within his team and as a teammate is the most impressive thing to us,” Evason said.
Ironically enough, he faces his former team Tuesday night. The Wild are one point out of the playoffs with 17 games to play, currently chasing Nashville, Winnipeg and Arizona.
“Obviously it’s very exciting that we’re so close to each other. I mean it’s one point right now, very, very exciting. For me, I’m more motivated that we’re so close to them, so close to the playoffs right now. It’s going to be an awesome game,” Fiala said.