Stano’s Daily: Fiala Eliminated & Panthers Sweep

The IIHF World Championships have moved into the round-robin section of the tournament and Thursday morning saw three Los Angeles Kings participate in the first group of games.

T.J. Tynan and Cal Petersen advanced with Team USA, defeating Czechia 3-0. Tynan recorded one assist while Petersen backed up Casey DeSmith.

It was a disappointing end for Kevin Fiala and Team Switzerland who lost 3-1 to Germany in round one.

Fiala finished with one assist and a -1 on the night.

Germany’s proved to be a tough opponent for a lot of teams in this tournament. Led by Buffalo Sabres prospect J.J. Peterka, Germany only lost two games in the preliminary rounds, two tight losses against Sweden and Team USA.

From a Kings perspective, Fiala having a chance to go home and rest for a few weeks has to be a plus.

Flordia Completes the Sweep:

On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers completed their sweep over the Carolina Hurricanes.

This series was decided by one goal in all four games, with Matthew Tkachuk scoring three game-winners in the series. Tkachuk has reached a new level in Flordia and is now one of the league’s best players.

He’s a Hart Trophy finalist, he’ll lose to Connor McDavid but it’s still an achievement, and has the chance to win a Conn Smythe if Florida goes on to win the Cup. Sergei Bobrovsky will certainly challenge Tkachuk for the Conn Smythe, but a few more game-winners in the Final might sway the voting in favor of Tkachuk.

We’ll find out Thursday night if the Vegas Golden Knights can complete their sweep over the Dallas Stars. The Stars will be without Jamie Benn who was suspended two games for his cross-check on Mark Stone in Game Three.

NationalHockeyNow:

FloridaHockeyNow: Shield your eyes Kings fans, more Matthew Tkachuk praise.

PhillyHockeyNow: A stadium series update out of Philly.

PittsburghHockeyNow: The Pittsburgh Penguins GM search continues and here’s what the eventual winning candidate will need to do once they get into the job.