LOS ANGELES — Kevin Fiala made his return to the Los Angeles Kings’ roster for their matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday evening.

The talented forward did not participate in Tuesday’s game against San Jose after being sidelined as a healthy scratch due to missing a team meeting.

Kings coach Jim Hiller addressed the situation before the game, explaining his conversation with Fiala. “Kev and I talked about it. He made a mistake and felt bad about it. We move on,” Hiller stated. He emphasized his confidence in Fiala, acknowledging that while it may seem that the player’s absence stemmed from being benched, he believes Fiala will rebound positively. “I’m not worried about Kevin. Kevin’ll get it back. He cares a lot,” he added.

So far this season, Fiala has recorded four goals and six points over the course of nine games, but his coach has expressed concerns about the number of penalties he has accumulated. Fiala has racked up a total of 12 penalty minutes, with four coming during Saturday’s match against Utah.

The forward had a standout season last year, achieving his third career campaign with over 70 points, netting 29 goals and amassing a total of 73 points. However, he faced scrutiny after being benched during the third period of the game against Utah due to accumulating two penalties.

“The disappointing thing, I think, right now, he’s taking too many minors,” Hiller remarked. “He had a great run in the second half last season and was able to rein it in. I know he had very high expectations for himself this year, even more than he’s ever had, and he just hasn’t started the season that way yet.”