Kevin Fiala gets a reprieve, helps Wild to dramatic victory

Kevin Fiala wasn't supposed to get back in the game for the Wild.

After committing three penalties in the span of 4 minutes, 27 seconds, one of which led to a power play goal by the Capitals that doubled their lead, Fiala was benched.

He didn't play the last seven minutes of the second period and was idle for nearly another nine to begin the third.

"Our thought was he wasn't going to play again," coach Dean Evason said.

But the Wild had a change of heart and Fiala rewarded the team for that decision, helping seal a 3-2 rally on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center by assisting on the game-tying goal and then scoring the decisive tally in the shootout.

"Good for him," Evason said. "He's part of the team, and hopefully this is another step in the right direction."

This wasn't the first time Fiala's been benched by Evason nor was it the first time he's bounced back from being in timeout.

What made this situation unique, though, was that sidelining Fiala subtracted another key player from a lineup already missing nine regulars because of injury and the NHL's COVID protocols. Even so, the Wild still made an example out of Fiala, sitting him after his third penalty of the second period.

The winger remained out of the rotation when the Wild started the third, but Fiala didn't stay quiet.

"He was cheering guys on the bench and being a team guy," winger Marcus Foligno said. "That means a lot. It means a lot to the young guys. It means a lot to us. We want him to be out there. We don't want him to sit on the bench. He's one of our best players."

At one point, Fiala also chatted with Evason.

"He called me over and had a private conversation, which I won't share the details," Evason said. "But basically said that he understands exactly what's going on. If he plays, great. If he doesn't, he'll support his team. Meant a lot."

That's the response the Wild wanted from Fiala, who signed a one-year, $5.1 million contract last summer and has seven goals and 16 assists through 33 games after reaching the 20-goal plateau in each of his past two seasons. The 25-year-old also leads the team in scoring since he arrived in a trade from Nashville in February 2019.

"If you're going to say it, let's give him an opportunity to prove it," Evason said, referring to Fiala saying he understood his benching. "And he did."

In the final minute of the third period, with the Wild down only a goal after Washington dumped the puck into its own vacant net during a delayed Wild penalty, Fiala fed the puck to winger Mats Zuccarello, whose shot after a give-and-go with defenseman Matt Dumba tied the score at 2 with 35 seconds left in regulation.

Then, in the shootout, Fiala lifted the puck over Capitals goalie Zach Fucale, a finish that stood up as the clincher to cap off the Wild's wacky turnaround and his own comeback story.

"Just nice to get out there and show that I can do differently," Fiala said.

The Wild sent goalie Hunter Jones and forwards Kyle Rau and Marco Rossi back to Iowa in the American Hockey League on Sunday and shifted winger Matt Boldy and goalie Andrew Hammond to the taxi squad while also activating center Joel Eriksson Ek from injured reserve.

Eriksson Ek hasn't played since suffering an upper-body injury on Dec. 20.

Because of postponements related to COVID-19, the next game for the Wild isn't until Friday at Xcel Energy Center vs. the Ducks. The team is scheduled to reconvene for practice on Tuesday.