© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY SportsKevin Fiala will miss three straight games against the Colorado Avalanche, a tough blow for the Wild who are directly behind them in the standings.
The Department of Player Safety has handed down a stiff penalty, suspending Kevin Fiala for three games after his boarding penalty Thursday night. As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note Fiala is entirely in control of how this play develops. From the time the puck is dumped in, he sees nothing but Roy's numbers. This is not a case of a player turning his back immediately prior to contact in a way that turns a legal body check into an illegal one.
While we acknowledge Fiala's assertion that he did not intend to cause Roy's impact with the boards, the contact is delivered at high speed and at a dangerous distance from the boards. The onus is on Fiala to create a new angle of approach that allows him to deliver this hit legally, avoid the hit entirely, or at the very least minimize the contact to ensure this is not a dangerous play.
Fiala has not been suspended previously, but the Kings' Matt Roy did suffer an injury on the play and was forced from the game. Chris Johnston of Sportsnet tweets that Fiala will forfeit $77,586 in salary for the suspension.
It will also go on his record and will be considered regarding any future incidents. Fiala will miss three straight games against the Colorado Avalanche, a tough blow for the Wild who are directly behind them in the standings.
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