Marc-Andre Fleury is no stranger to Xcel Energy Center, but the goaltender has a new address on the ice: in the Wild's crease.
"I looked back once in the third and he was stretching, and I was like, 'This is pretty awesome,' " captain Jared Spurgeon said.
Fleury's transformation from rival to teammate was on display in a 3-2 overtime rally against the Blue Jackets on Saturday, a successful Wild debut in which the three-time Stanley Cup champion performed as advertised.
"Very calm and good with the puck and makes the plays and makes the big saves," Kevin Fiala said. "Just a great goalie."
After a clean first period with infrequent work, Fleury was busier in the second and that's when Columbus capitalized.
The first goal came amid a scramble in front with the puck ultimately bouncing in off Fleury's skate, and the second was a crisp shot by Jakub Voracek. That finish turned a one-goal hole into a one-goal lead for the Blue Jackets, a turnaround indicative of a lull in front of Fleury.
"Our second period sort of got away from what we were doing in the first period," Spurgeon said. "Just overextending shifts and then you get stuck out there, and we're not as aggressive as we usually are, which is what makes us good. We had to fix that."
While the team improved in the third, Fleury turned aside all three shots he faced in the period before making a clutch stop on Patrik Laine ahead of Spurgeon delivering his third career overtime goal less than a minute later.
"The save on Laine at the end, that's a world-class shooter," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "For him to come out like that, challenge, give no opportunity and then we're able to transition and get going the other way because of it, that was a big save for us."
Overall, Fleury racked up 23 saves to secure his 20th victory of the season and become just the fourth netminder in NHL history to post 14 seasons of at least 20 wins; Patrick Roy (17), Martin Brodeur (16) and Ed Belfour (15) are the others.
What also made the evening memorable was Fleury, nicknamed "Flower," collecting a bouquet off the ice during the postgame celebration.
"It will get better with time," Fleury said about settling in behind a new team. "There were one or two [Saturday] that were just so-so, but it was pretty good. Guys were talking, and that always helps."
Shifting momentum
Evason credited a shift by Fiala, Frederick Gaudreau and Matt Boldy in the third for flipping momentum in the Wild's favor.
The team dominated the Blue Jackets most of that period, outshooting them 13-3, and that pressure eventually culminated in Kirill Kaprizov's tying goal with 1 minute, 3 seconds left in the frame.
"When we sustained it in there, the crowd got going and I think that really energized us because it was pretty quiet," Evason said. "Rightfully so because of the way we were playing. But that shift, they started getting jacked up. There was a buzz, and then it just rolled our lines over.
"That line and the crowd combined was real good."
Etc.
- The Wild continued to shuffle its blue line on Sunday against the Avalanche, scratching Alex Goligoski while Jon Merrill rejoined the lineup alongside Dmitry Kulikov.
- Nico Sturm waved to the crowd during a break in the first period after the Wild acknowledged his return with Colorado.
Sturm was traded to the Avalanche on March 15 for fellow center Tyson Jost.
