The Minnesota Wild were coming off an important win over the Chicago Blackhawks when they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins at home on Marc-André Fleury night, Friday, Feb. 9. The victory over the Blackhawks was far from their best performance, with the majority of their top players going unnoticed. That changed when they took on the Penguins, and their star players stepped up.
The Wild jumped on the scoreboard first with a power play goal, and they held it through the first period. The second got tricky as they allowed the Penguins to score a goal when no one blocked their shot. They answered back a few minutes later to retake the lead and, for the second time, ended a period up by one goal.
Everything was on the line in the third as Sidney Crosby got the best of his buddy Fleury and tied the game at two. However, the Wild’s superstar, Kirill Kaprizov, responded with his goal and gave his team the lead for the third time. Things got very tight towards the end, and there were numerous times the Penguins should’ve scored, but Fleury got in their way and secured the win for his team. It’s only fitting that on the night he was honored, we start these takeaways with Fleury’s performance.
Fleury Owns His Night
It was a night full of flowers and celebration as both the Wild and Penguins organizations honored a goaltender that has meant so much to both teams. The numbers 1,000 and 552 were covered in flowers to showcase Fleury’s 1,000th game played and his 552nd win. The walk to the Wild locker room was draped with flowers that the players walked through, including Filip Gustavsson, who wore a wreath of flowers on his head. Plus, everyone in the arena donned a flower pin.
During warm-ups, the players wore special jerseys with “Fleury” and the number 29 with a flower design on the back and special patches on each shoulder for his recent accomplishments. He was awarded a special painting from the Penguins, an engraved Tiffany crystal milestone award from the NHL, the famous silver stick, several checks to his chosen charity, the American Indian Family Center, and a goalie mask that showcased all the teams he’s played for.
After the ceremony was finished and the game started, Fleury didn’t show any sign of being distracted. He flipped a switch, and his game mode was activated immediately. He stopped his close friends Crosby and Evgeni Malkin several times and showed his vintage Fleury style that’ll be known for years. He made some huge acrobatic saves and stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced for a .944 save percentage that was good enough for a win in his first game back since Jan. 19, and on the night all about him was fitting.
Wild’s Top Players Show Up
Following a game where their top players struggled to get anything going, the Wild’s stars appeared to have found their game against the Penguins. Matt Boldy got things going with his goal on the power play on a pass from Kaprizov, who dazzled his way into the zone after getting a breakout pass from Brock Faber. After missing the game in Chicago due to an illness, Jonas Brodin returned to the lineup and scored a big goal to give his team a lead. He was deep in the offensive zone, carried the puck to the slot, and spun around to shoot just in time to beat the goaltender.
Finally, after Crosby scored to tie the game, Kaprizov stepped up to get his team the lead. He’s been on a hot streak since before the All-Star Break, and other than the hiccup against Chicago, he continued that streak against the Penguins. The Wild need him to be at his best if they hope to make the postseason, and hopefully, this streak continues.
Wild Find Their Fight
After a game where they barely scraped through, the entire team seemed to be clicking. They were finding each other in hard-to-find spots, and their passes connected. Even when they made a mistake, their teammates were there to pick up the puck and fix it. They were motivated to win mainly for Fleury on his night, but they also knew how much they needed it for their playoff hopes.
Watching the defensive side of things, Faber was especially adamant about communicating. He pointed at his teammates, telling them who to cover, and it worked. They kept the good things going even when some random goal-horn sounds happened throughout the game, with the referees telling players to ignore it if it went off again. Thankfully, it stopped, but it definitely made for an odd night.
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The game was pretty tense from start to finish, with several missed calls and the teams getting heated. Despite the aggravation, the Wild stayed mostly controlled, but they still took more penalties than they should’ve. They’ll have to watch that as the season progresses so they don’t put themselves in precarious situations.
Wild Head on Road
The next part of the schedule will be difficult, especially for the Wild’s playoff hopes. They’ll be on the road for the next two games, home for a few games, and back on the road again. Their first game will be against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, Feb. 12.
Their defense will have to be strong again as they face Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Ivan Barbashev, and Chandler Stephenson in Vegas. Those players are their top scorers, and the Wild must stop them. However, their offense will have to keep their scoring streaks going and try to get past Adin Hill in the net. The Wild have now won two games in a row, and hopefully, they can keep things alive and win game number three against the Golden Knights.
