SAN JOSE, Calif. — Marc-Andre Fleury was so ill the other night, that there was a question about whether he’d even be able to be the backup for the Minnesota Wild game against the Colorado Avalanche.
The stomach flu bug has been going around, and the future Hall of Famer wasn’t able to eat much until Friday.
“A rough couple days,” Fleury said. “It happens to many people I’m sure around Minnesota.”
On Saturday, Fleury was not just feeling better.
He was feeling it.
Fleury was the best Wild player on the ice — by far — in lifting them to a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center. Minnesota had no business being up by a couple of goals, and Fleury ensured that they held on with 36 saves.
“He was unbelievable,” Marcus Foligno said. “Definitely won that game because of him.”
The Sharks peppered Fleury with 16 first-period shots, including several good looks on an early power play. The Wild had trouble for most of the night exiting their own zone, looking sloppy. Macklin Celebrini, the top overall pick, was dominant, racking up a career-high 17 shot attempts (six on goal). Fleury stoned him on several grade-A chances, with the only goal Fleury gave up coming off a rebound from a Celebrini shot off the rush.
“One (Sharks fan) kept yelling at me that I’m too old, I have to retire,” Fleury said, laughing. “So I wanted to show him we could win and do well. So I’m happy.
“It was actually funny.”
There were a bunch of Sharks fans who waited after the game by the tunnel for a chance to talk to Fleury or get something signed. Even a couple of security guards near the locker room area asked him for a selfie.
The Wild started Fleury on Saturday instead of giving him a final start in Vegas on Sunday. But it’s hard to argue against it. Fleury beat San Jose in November and has won his last nine starts in SAP Center.
Marc-Andre Fleury signs his own… face? 😂
Never change, Flower 💚 pic.twitter.com/spSY76MrzN
— NHL (@NHL) January 12, 2025
“I thought about it tonight,” Fleury said. “I had some good times, bad times. The playoffs with Vegas, a rough loss in Game 7. I always enjoyed playing here. Always a loud building, they had good teams for many years. It’s been a good time.”
The Wild got their offense from their top line, with Marco Rossi, Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello (empty-netter) each scoring a goal. They were a plus-9 with 6 combined points after going minus-10 in Thursday’s 6-1 loss to Colorado. The Wild are 12-1-2 against non-playoff teams in the Western Conference and 16-3-3 on the road overall, the best in the NHL.
“I thought Rossi’s line was really good,” coach John Hynes said. “Not only the goals, but they could have had more. We didn’t have it. It wasn’t an A game. It was a B game tonight. But we had enough guys step up to rise to the occasion, ‘Flower,’ the Rossi line, among others. That’s what you need some nights, and those guys came through for us.”
Marco: 🏎️ 🏒🚨 pic.twitter.com/qPE8isR3ph
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 12, 2025
Fleury won’t get to make his last potential start in Vegas, which will likely disappoint some Golden Knights fans. But Fleury understood it. “It is what it is,” he said. “(Filip Gustavsson) has been our best goalie all season and they’re the best team in the league right now. It’s all good. We got the win tonight, go cheer on ‘Gus’ tomorrow.”
Wild issues helped the Sharks
It was pretty easy to figure out the main problem for the Wild on Saturday. They had major issues getting the puck out of their own zone, and that fueled the Sharks attack.
It will be a long night on Sunday if they do that against a high-powered Vegas team. “We just smacked the puck around in our zone and they had more chances because of it,” Foligno said. “We really shoveled crap to the next guy and didn’t help him out. We honestly threw pucks up the wall hoping they’d get out. That’s not us. There were times we were right at the blue line and couldn’t get it out. But we’ve got to make sure we’re more crispier tomorrow. The passes better be on the tape against Vegas.”
Hynes said the Wild’s ability to break pucks out with structure is their “engine that drives our team.” And it was off Saturday. “We defended more than we wanted to,” he said.
Celebrini’s a stud
Wow, Celebrini is good. The top overall pick from Boston University showed why he’ll be a terror in this league for a long, long time. Celebrini amassed 17 shot attempts, with six on goal and 10 missing the net. Many of his looks were grade-A chances, and he assisted on the Sharks only goal.
“That kid drives their team,” Foligno said. “His skating, his hands, his head is always up. He’s quick, can cut back. There’s times you think you’ve got him and his head is up so he can find a lot of guys coming in late. He’s going to be a hell of a player in this league, and he already is one.”
Coach Hynes on Celebrini: “He’s got good speed, is tenacious with the puck. When he has time and space off the rush, he’s a guy that can execute plays. We’ve played him twice now and I’ve been impressed with him twice.”
And that is what you would call “a really nice hockey goal” pic.twitter.com/7TEGVWHhaz
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 12, 2025
David Jiricek fits in
It certainly looks like the Wild might have something in David Jiricek. The former sixth overall pick, acquired from Columbus in November, has only played two games for Minnesota. But there are some good signs here.
Jiricek, 21, skates pretty well for his size (6-foot-4, 204 pounds). He made several smart pinches on Saturday night. He delivered a big hit on Nico Sturm in the defensive zone in the first period. It’ll take some time for Jiricek to get acclimated, but his first two games with Minnesota have been impressive.
“Two good games for us,” Hynes said. “You can’t teach the size he has. He’s got good reach. He’s willing to compete from a defensive perspective in the D-zone, net front and corners. He’s got some good offensive instincts, moves the puck well, has a good shot. You can see the style of player he is. Even though it’s only a couple games. You can see what he can do now, but you can also see the potential moving forward.”
‘Good sign’ for Kirill Kaprizov
Kirill Kaprizov continues to progress from his lengthy absence due to a lower-body injury, which has sidelined him for eight games since the Christmas break. The superstar has skated on his own back in St. Paul, combining that with off-ice workouts.
When asked if Kaprizov could return next week or weekend, Hynes said he didn’t “want to put a timeline on it.” But Hynes said the Wild are encouraged that Kaprizov’s responding well to his on- and off-ice workouts.
“I think it’s good that he’s skating regularly and every day you’re starting to see the response,” Hynes said. “You do a little bit more, how do you respond to that? But he is working out regularly, skating regularly, so that’s a good sign,” Hynes said.
Jonas Brodin (lower body) and Brock Faber (upper body) were receiving treatment back in Minnesota, and are still considered day to day. Jared Spurgeon started doing off-ice workouts. Jakub Lauko, who is still on long-term injured reserve, didn’t suffer a setback, Hynes said, instead his rehab has “stagnated.”
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
