Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Fiala is expected to make his season debut Thursday against the New York Islanders or Saturday against the Calgary Flames, sources said.
The Kings' string of good injury news will actually begin Tuesday night as Mats Zuccarello will return from an upper-body injury to face the Nashville Predators.
Fiala, 30, fractured his left leg while playing for Switzerland at February's Olympics. He underwent surgery in Italy and had a follow-up procedure in September that kept him out of the start of training camp. Fiala, one of the team's most gifted forwards, had 18 goals and 22 assists in 56 games for the Kings last season.
Zuccarello has played six games this season across two stints in the lineup. The 39-year-old signed a one-year, bonus-laden deal with Los Angeles in free agency after posting 15 goals and 39 assists in 59 games for the Minnesota Wild last season. It was his fifth consecutive 50-point season.
For Los Angeles (5-8-2) the returns come at a crucial juncture. The three games this week close out a seven-game homestand, giving the Kings a chance to put together their first consecutive wins in nearly three weeks. Fiala's return will mark the first time the Kings have had him and Artemi Panarin in the lineup.
