Following a rough regulation loss on Saturday, Oct. 26, the Minnesota Wild were looking for a rebound win when they faced the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, Oct. 29. They were also looking to earn a win for Marc-André Fleury, who was in net for the final time in the town where he got his NHL start. It was a back-and-forth game, but ultimately, the Wild snuck the win out for Fleury.
Things got off to a rough start as the Penguins got the game’s first two goals and put the Wild on their heels for a bit. However, the Wild found a way to answer back late in the period with a goal by Jakub Lauko that snuck between the Penguins’ goaltender and the pipe from a crazy angle. That goal gave his team the energy boost it needed to jump back into this one, and they added another goal 55 seconds later to tie the game and end the first period 2-2.
In the second period, the Wild got things started early to take their first lead of the game, 3-2. Following that goal, the majority of the period was quiet, with the exception of Sidney Crosby holding down Brock Faber, who, after getting away from Crosby, was intercepted by Jack St. Ivany, who came from the bench to start a fight. It was Faber’s first fight of his career and the first of the season for the Wild.
Luckily, nothing happened while Faber was in the box, and the game moved on. Just before the second period ended, the Wild added another goal to put themselves ahead by two. In the final period, the Penguins tried to mount a comeback with a goal early in the period, but the Wild and Fleury were ready and held on until the empty net goal at the end that secured the 5-3 win. In this article, we’ll look at how the Wild returned to win this game, starting with their never give up attitude.
Wild Didn’t Give Up
Despite a difficult start that saw the Wild go down 2-0 early, Fleury later admitted he wasn’t his best in the first period during a postgame interview. They found a way to buckle down and play their game for the rest of regulation. The Wild have now come back to win in two games after being down early, and they did come back from being down in a third game but fell in that one to the Flyers.
The Wild also found themselves in penalty trouble early, leading to one of the Penguin’s early goals. Still, following that period, they re-focused and stayed disciplined, except for Faber’s fight. After those penalties, especially the Faber fight, it could’ve been easy for the Wild to lose control and allow the frustration to creep in. Instead, they let out a few yells and then returned to their style of play again, leading them to their win.
The Wild peppered the opposing goaltender all night with shot after shot until they finally found an opening. After that first goal, the rest came easier on some strong shots and hard work by everyone on the team. Fleury also played a big part in this as he turned on his A-game after those first two goals and did his best to shut them out with some big Fleury-esqe saves. He did well.
Wild’s Fleury Bounces Back
Fleury had a rough start to the game, which he admitted after the fact, with everything going on his head, he wasn’t completely in it to start, which is to be expected. However, following those two goals, the first was partially on him and partially on his defense while the second goal was mostly on Fleury’s shoulders, but he bounced back.
He made save after save, and although he did allow one more goal in the third, he stood tall through the rest and helped his team secure the win. He made 26 saves on 29 shots and had a .897 save percentage, so it was not the greatest, but it got the job done. He did what he intended to do, which was to enjoy the game and also get the win.
Wild’s Scoring From All-Around Lineup Again
While the top line typically gets all the attention when it comes to scoring, this time, it was the bottom portion of the lineup that got things started. First, Lauko has been a very strong presence for the team all season and consistently gives himself and his teammates chances to score.
Once Lauko got things started, third liner Frédérick Gaudreau showed what he’s capable of with not one but back-to-back goals in the first and second periods, which were also his first two goals of the season. Not to be outdone, the top line got on the board with the final two goals scored by Mats Zuccarello and, of course, his linemate Kirill Kaprizov, who has been on fire lately when it comes to assists; he’s currently up to 13.
The Wild count on their top line to score nearly every night, but it’s a great bonus when they get their third and fourth liners to contribute points as well. That’s how they’ll win games, especially when they get behind. Having their entire lineup step up to contribute will lead them to wins.
Wild Head Home
For the first time in nearly three weeks and seven games, the Wild will head back home to Minnesota and the comforts of the Xcel Energy Center. They’ll face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, Nov. 1, and stay home for the two games following that. Hopefully, they’ll be able to turn this into another winning streak and secure some important points.
Back to their win over the Penguins, it was a significant night for Fleury, and it seemed to be everything he could’ve hoped for except the rough start. He got to take in all the fan’s cheers and see how much they’ve loved his play over the years, and he returned the favor with a big win for Wild fans, of course. However, the Penguins’ fans in attendance seemed not to mind the loss as much since it was for Fleury. He’s a hardworking, dedicated player and earned the loud and fantastic sendoff he received that he will remember for a long time.