The recent four-game road trip might have been a mixed bag for the Wild after the team earned a split, but the 10-day trek was certainly a boost for winger Kevin Fiala.
After scoring his first goal of the season in the Wild's last home game, Fiala brought that momentum with him to California and Arizona, potting two more and chipping in a pair of assists. He scored again Thursday at home for his most productive stretch since joining the Wild.
"Right now, my confidence is pretty high," Fiala said. "Gotta keep it going."
Since returning from a lower-body injury that kept him out for three games in October, Fiala — who had just one assist at that point — focused on getting back to the basics.
"Just work hard and go to the net and maybe get a dirty goal or something," Fiala said, "and then it comes again."
That's exactly what happened; a harmless-looking throw from along the boards flew in Nov. 2 at home against the Blues. During Fiala's next outing, Nov. 5 in Anaheim, he started the team's comeback with a one-timer late in the second.
He also played a role in the rally last Saturday against the Coyotes by cleaning up a rebound, the Wild's second goal en route to an eventual 4-3 win.
"There's not a lot of pretty goals in this league," said Fiala, who was a late arrival to training camp after signing a two-year, $6 million contract the day before players had to report. "The faster you understand it, the better. I was one of the players, I still sometimes don't want to go to the dirty areas and stuff. But that's what I told myself. After the injury, I gotta do [that] because the game's changed. Everybody's getting better, faster."
