Are you saying the Kings were ia better position to win that game without their leading scorer then they were had he played?
The PP was noticeably worse without Fiala. I know you don’t value his type of players very much, but he is still the most offensively gifted player on the roster.
No, I am saying that Fiala plays fast and loose with the puck in the best of conditions and that his strengths would have been mitigated by the awful ice on display - so much so that if he attempted his normal game that not would it not have worked, it would more likely have been a liability with the way he handles the puck in areas of the ice that are most dangerous to turnovers.
NONE of the offensive players thrived in that game, not even the guys who have been playing just as well as Fiala who don't risk as much as he does. So when that poster said definitively that the Kings missed Fiala on that game, I am saying hold on, that ain't the case.
That game was a one off, piss poor ice quality game that made high skill largely irrelevant and rewarded the grind. No reason to look for anything else or blame anyone. Not MacLellan, not Doughty, just one of those games that happens every now and then. Now the decision not to take the timeout and go with your top unit to try and win the game in favor of a pieced together patchwork second unit is most definitely something to criticize.