Earlier this season, Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan said he'd have to start, "welding asses to the bench," if players couldn't improve their puck management.

When asked if Kevin Fiala — a player who is notoriously loose with the puck — was a player who could be welded to the bench, McLellan gave out an emphatic "yes."

Saying something and actually doing it are two different things though, and McLellan stuck to his word, benching Fiala after a brutal turnover in the first period of Wednesday's game.

Fiala is too good a player for mistakes like that, and McLellan had to send a message. After the turnover, 11 minutes into the period, Fiala didn't see another shift in the period.

A message was sent, and certainly received, as Fiala buried a breakaway goal on his first shift since being benched.

The Kings then scored just 13 seconds later, starting what would become a dominant 5-1 win.

In isolation, benching Fiala is a wake-up call to the player individually, but it's also a wake-up call to the entire team.

No one was good enough in the first period, and benching a player like Fiala sends a team-wide message.

They responded as a whole and took over the game after a weak opening 20.

This game also saw the return of Vladislav Gavrikov, who had missed the last five games because of a knee injury.

Gavrikov took some time to feel his way back into the game, along with the rest of his team, but he found his feet by the end.

We also saw Adrian Kempe rewarded for his strong play with a few goals. He's quietly been on a tear this season but hasn't been scoring at the rate we're used to now.

Still, he's on pace for 29 goals and 79 points as he rounds out a more complete offensive game. 

Even though the Kings scored five goals, the highlight of the night was not a goal. It was Alex Laferriere's fight with Luke Kunin in response to a questionable hit on Arthur Kaliyev.

Laferriere, who is not even a year out of Harvard, has now fought twice before New Year having come into the NHL with zero fights in his hockey career.

 "Probably not," McLellan said through a chuckle when asked if anyone had Laferriere pegged for two fights already. "But that's his competitive spirit, that's what he does, it's contagious. He's a big reason why that line is clicking, he's got a lot of energy that rubs off. We're lucky to have him."

Even the biggest Laferriere truthers weren't expecting this level of play through 31 games, and McLellan is right, they're lucky to have Laferriere after Viktor Arvidsson's injury left them short a top-nine forward.

It was a good win for the Kings in the end, a game where they simply overpowered a less-skilled team in the Sharks, but they can't make a habit of slow starts like that.

If you start like that against some of the league's top teams, they won't give you the luxury of just being down one goal.

You also won't have the option to flip a switch and take over games at will. 

The Kings are one of the best teams in hockey though, and I'd expect them to clean up whatever ailed them in that opening frame.