Two games into the season’s second half, the Minnesota Wild are hoping that a little more “Flower Power” and some good health can turn their campaign around.
Banged up and playing without a few starters to begin 2024, the Wild will be healthier when they open a three-game road swing Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Flower – Minnesota goalie Marc-Andre Fleury – did his part Monday with a 21-save effort for his 74th career shutout, his first blanking this season. The effort came in a 5-0 win over the visiting New York Islanders.
The win was historic: Fleury, 39, passed Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list as he recorded his 552nd victory, good for second.
That leaves only Quebec countryman Martin Brodeur – a far distance away at 691 wins — ahead of Fleury, a native of Sorel between Montreal and Quebec City.
“If you looked at how the team rushed out after the game to congratulate him, it shows what type of teammate he is and what he means to the NHL and every organization he’s played for,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “He’s a special guy and a special player.”
The Wild were booed by their fans two days prior when they fell 6-0 to the Arizona Coyotes. The Central Division club was 1-7-1 in their prior nine games before Monday and had not produced a regulation win since clipping the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 at home on Dec. 27.
Against the Islanders, defenseman Jonas Brodin was back on the ice following a 17-game absence for a lower-body injury. Within the past 10 days, forwards Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov plus goaltender Filip Gustavsson also returned to action.
The Lightning have not played since Saturday night when they trounced the visiting Anaheim Ducks 5-1 behind captain Steven Stamkos’ three-point outing.
Stamkos tallied two times on the power play, pushing his career total to 204 goals with the man advantage.
That tied him for 17th all-time with Wayne Gretzky, who netted a staggering 894 goals.
“That’s kind of weird,” Stamkos said. “It goes to show he did a lot of damage not on the power play, too.”
The conquest gave the Atlantic Division club a season-best-tying third consecutive win and a chance for a four-game sweep of its homestand.
In the final year of his contract, the 33-year-old Stamkos, who has 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 41 games, could ultimately be at a crossroads with the only club for which he has ever suited up.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2008, Stamkos is a pending unrestricted free agent who can sign elsewhere on July 1 if he and the Lightning do not agree on a new contract.
Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois said trading the team’s all-time leading goal scorer, who has 533, is out of the question.
“Steven Stamkos isn’t getting traded,” BriseBois told reporters Tuesday. “You can all write that. Steven Stamkos is not getting traded, so we can put that one to bed if anyone was speculating on that.
“That’s not going to change between now and the (trade) deadline under any circumstances.”
– Field Level Media
