The Los Angeles Kings hoped that Kevin Fiala’s return would provide a much-needed boost to a struggling team, according to Yahoo Sports.
Instead, they find themselves reaching new levels of disappointment, albeit through no fault of the Swiss forward making his return to the ice following nine months off due to injury, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Although Fiala had an assist and some physical plays throughout the game, the Kings’ 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders extends their losing streak to three games and leaves them with just as many questions, per Yahoo Sports.
“For me, just getting in the game, that’s very exciting,” Fiala said, according to Yahoo Sports.
“Very happy about that, obviously,” Fiala continued, per Yahoo Sports.
“But at the end of the day, it’s about winning games,” Fiala added, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Although the Kings got the majority of the game’s scoring chances, the end result was all the same as the Islanders took advantage of their opportunities better, dropping Los Angeles to 5-10-2 on the season, per Yahoo Sports.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Kings defenseman and captain Drew Doughty said, according to Yahoo Sports.
“Tonight I thought we had a good effort,” Doughty continued, per Yahoo Sports.
“I thought we played some good hockey, but then there’s just, like, little moments in the game,” Doughty added, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Head coach Peter Laviolette noted that the Islanders’ fifth goal was an empty-netter, according to Yahoo Sports.
“There was four different reasons why they scored goals out there,” Laviolette said, per Yahoo Sports.
Doughty emphasized his belief that the team’s issues come down to execution rather than coaching, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
“We’re wasting time right now,” Doughty said, according to Yahoo Sports.