These stats were padded with another chapter when the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Wild 3-2 in Game 6 Thursday night to close out the series, 4-2.

To add salt to the wound, this stat was posted from the @OptaSTATS account on Twitter/X just before midnight after the loss:

“The Wild are the first team in MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL history to make the playoffs 8+ times in a 10-year span but lost in the opening round every time.”

So yes, Minnesota sports and all that.

“We hear the noise of getting by the first round,” said Wild forward Marcus Foligno. “We understand it. We really felt like we could have done it this year, and that’s the disappointing part, right? But we always want to be a team that has commitment and will and sacrifice and comes together as a family, and that’s what our fans deserve.”

Minnesota Wild fans waved their rally towels at Xcel Energy Center during Game 6. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Writing “same old Wild” and ending the piece here wouldn’t be much of a story. Besides, it’s already been typed probably hundreds of times on social media by diehard and casual hockey fans.

While some of those franchise stats are the same when it comes to the playoffs, this season and playoff series was not the “same old Wild.” It’s okay for disappointment with the overall results – the win/loss record – while also enjoying the good chapters written along the way. Sports offer incredible moments, memories and amazing plays, along with frustration, anger and heartbreak.

“It’s tough,” Foligno said. “I mean, especially when you felt like you deserved better, right?

“It’s unfortunate we just couldn’t get our looks and get our bounces and move on like they did.”

Capitalizing on chances, miscues make or break a series
The loss absolutely stings for the Wild and their fans. Mistakes and missed opportunities are heightened during the playoffs, and this year was no exception.

In Game 4, the Wild had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead that’s eluded the franchise forever. Instead, they lost in overtime after a defensive miscue by Jake Middleton in the Wild’s zone led to the winning goal for Vegas. In Game 5, it was a goal getting overturned on a coaches’ challenge late in regulation of a tie game that will haunt the Wild – and Gustav Nyquist, who was offsides before Ryan Hartman put the puck in the net – for years to come.

Back home for a must-win Game 6, the Wild never led after giving up a power-play goal just 3 minutes, 30 seconds into the game. Vegas was also more opportunistic than the Wild and made a couple of great plays as they finally got production from a couple of their best players – Jack Eichel and Mark Stone.

Brock Faber handles the puck while Joel Eriksson Ek battles with Tomas Hertl. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

On the go-ahead goal, Wild defenseman Brock Faber pinched in from the blue line and didn’t get back once Vegas got control of the puck. It created a breakaway for Eichel, a superstar who didn’t miss the net, scoring his first goal of the series for a 2-1 Vegas lead late in the second period.

The Wild were down two goals late in the third but responded 31 seconds later to make it 3-2, the second time in the series the Wild had a quick answer in the third period. Minnesota had a flurry of chances in the final two minutes after pulling Filip Gustavsson for the extra attacker. But the clock ran out on the game and the Wild’s 2024-25 campaign.

The feeling was “raw” after the game for Wild coach John Hynes.

“I thought we worked enough and were playing well enough to be able to continue to push the series,” Hynes said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. But I commend the guys. This was a really fun group to coach, extremely competitive group, coachable.

“It’s obviously disappointing right now because you feel like you deserve a little bit better, at least in the last few games here, and unfortunately, it didn’t go that way.”

This wasn’t the average Wild playoff series
Vegas won the series with four victories in essentially one-goal games. The Golden Knights won three in a row with a pair of overtime victories and then Thursday’s 3-2 result. Game 1 was 4-2, but that included an empty-net goal just before time expired.

Both Gustavsson and Hartman mentioned the two overtime losses in their postgame comments Thursday. Gustavsson thought a moment before answering that the Wild should have one of those overtime games was a deciding factor. It’s small details in tight games, he added.

“I think years past we had some pretty good teams, but this one, those things we went through, the way we stuck with things,” Hartman said. “This one feels like we could have gone deep.

“We battled. Two overtime losses the last two games, and a close one tonight. Felt like it could have easily gone seven, but we felt like we had what it took to go forward.”

“Credit to them. They found a way to get it done,” said Wild coach John Hynes, following the Game 6 loss. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Wild were close. They were right there. For many stretches in the series they outplayed Vegas. Gustavsson looked like the better goaltender than Adin Hill at the other end. That’s what was so different about this playoff series for the Wild, and perhaps what will make the loss sting that much more.

Minnesota wasn’t overmatched. The Wild didn’t run into a brick wall of a hot goaltender. They didn’t struggle to score goals and generate offense. Their top players didn’t figuratively disappear. All problems that have plagued this franchise for years in the playoffs.

The only game that looked similar to years past was Game 6, because of the close-but-no-cigar chances the Wild had to score more than two goals. The Wild outshot Vegas 31-23 in the game, but they left so much on the table when it came to finishing off plays. It wasn’t for lack of trying or offensive zone time.

Wild fans have seen the movie before, where a puck bounces one way, a player’s stick is just in the wrong spot, a gaping net is staring at the Wild while the goalie is out of position, but they can’t cash in, for whatever reason. That’s hockey, and no matter how many chances the Wild generated with their season on the line, the puck wasn’t finding the back of the net when they needed it the most.

“You feel a little bit gut-punched,” Foligno said. “It does feel a little bit like that. You’re feeling ‘what do we have to do in order to get by, what’s next’ type thing, that’s the game of hockey. That’s why it’s frustrating to play it, but it can give you the best thing in the world and what we all dream of, and that’s winning the Stanley Cup and that’s our goal and always will be.

“But it feels like we had something a lot better, a lot different this year.”

Hartman, goal scoring and one last moment for Flower
In Game 6, the Wild got two goals from Hartman, who played excellent – and disciplined – hockey throughout the series. He had four assists coming into Game 6 before finally getting a goal that counted with four seconds left in the first period to tie the game 1-1. Hartman also buried the puck from the side of the cage with 3:27 remaining in regulation. He had another great chance off a feed from Kirill Kaprizov earlier in the third period but couldn’t finish the play with a goal; Hartman banged his stick on the end glass in frustration.

Ryan Hartman scored two goals, both in Game 6, and four assists in the six-game playoff series. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Hartman bounced back well this season from an eight-game suspension for roughing in a game in Ottawa in early February. It left a Wild team riddled with injuries all season even more shorthanded at the time. But he was a catalyst for the Wild in this series. Hynes said Thursday that Hartman “grew a little bit” coming back from the suspension.

“I think just his mental focus really when he came back from that coming down the stretch to end the regular season and into the playoffs,” Hynes said. “Just more focused, channeled his energy the right way, played the game the right way, and he had a great playoffs for us. It was really good to see.”

Hynes added that Hartman has a competitive gene which produces an ability and mindset to play his best during a hard playoff series. But Hartman, who’s played in the last five playoff series losses with the Wild, wasn’t interested in focusing on the personal positives of his game.

“I’d rather have been out of the lineup and we’d move on,” Hartman said. “It really doesn’t (expletive) matter.”

Hartman wasn’t the only bright spot in this series. The Wild’s top line of Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy combined for 10 goals and nine assists, with Kaprizov and Boldy each scoring five goals. Though they were kept off the scoresheet in the final game, the Wild received the kind of play they needed from this trio. As a reminder, two of those players missed a combined 77 games this season due to injury. Eriksson Ek and Kaprizov each returned to the lineup April 9, with Eriksson Ek scoring four goals while Kaprizov notched two.  

Boldy, who played in all 88 games this season, showed the type of skill and hustle expected of a top-line winger. Eriksson Ek’s presence is felt all over the ice, including with the level of physicality and in the faceoff circle, although he wasn’t able to get a goal in these past six games. Kaprizov is one of the best players in the league and was playing like an MVP candidate before his injury around Christmas.

One of the best plays of the series was Kaprizov’s saucer pass to Boldy up the ice for a goal in Game 2 Boldy called it the best pass he’d ever seen. Foligno quipped during that press conference that it was a “rude” thing for Boldy to say, since he assisted on Boldy’s first NHL goal.

Foligno was another player who threw his weight around in the series, both with hits and offensively. He scored three goals in the series and assisted on Hartman’s first goal of the night Thursday. Foligno came into Thursday leading the league with 38 hits in the playoffs; he finished with 42 hits in six games.

The end of the Wild’s season also marks the end of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury’s NHL career. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson had his own highlight reel of important saves when his team needed it. He played all but the third period and overtime of Game 5, exiting because he was sick. That gave Marc-Andre Fleury one more period-plus of NHL hockey before his expected retirement at 40 years old.

As the traditional post-series handshakes ended, the fans who remained at Xcel Energy Center started a “Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!” chant in appreciation. He gave a brief acknowledgement to the crowd before being the first Wild player to skate off the ice and down the tunnel; the rest of the Wild players and the Vegas players stayed on the ice and offered stick taps to acknowledge the future hall of famer. It was a brief moment shortened by the deflating team loss.

Still, it was an emotional scene for Foligno, though it’s safe to say he wasn’t the only one.  

“You feel for him,” Foligno said. “I think we all pushed really hard for him and trying to extend this as long as we can. The big goal was to go out a winner. That would have been the ultimate sacrifice and ultimate dream going out.

“We’re all very fortunate in this room to have played with him.”

Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights

The post Early Exit appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The Wild played well in game one, though Vegas took the victory before the Wild split on the road and then won Game 3 with back-to-back, offense-fueled 5-2 victories. Goal scoring, hits, special teams and elite goaltending, plus an energetic Minnesota crowd. All those boxes are checked in this best-of-seven series, which is knotted at two games apiece.

“It was good playoff hockey,” said Wild winger Marcus Foligno. “It was exciting. We had chances there at the end. … It was a good hockey game.

“This is a series. They’re a heck of a team. Not going to be easy. It was a good game both sides. This is what we expect. … We played a hard game, and it’s got to be the same effort in Vegas.”

The only box the Wild didn’t check off was taking a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history. Vegas got the edge with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 4 after Ivan Barbashev capitalized on a failed clearing attempt by the Wild with just 2:34 left in overtime to score the winner. Vegas took a 3-2 lead halfway through the third period before Wild captain Jared Spurgeon answered just 54 seconds later.

Overtime on home ice also hasn’t been kind to the Wild. All-time, they’re 4-8 at Xcel Energy Center in overtime playoff games, including 0-for-5 since their last home OT victory. That was Mikael Granlund’s diving goal back on April 21, 2014 in game three against Colorado.

But even after losing in overtime Saturday, Wild players and coach John Hynes were positive about the status of the series.

Marcus Foligno skates toward the Wild bench after scoring a goal early in the second period Saturday to give the Wild a 2-1 lead in Game 4. Foligno has scored in three consecutive games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“Ah man, we’re in a good spot,” Hynes said. “It was a hard-fought battle. We played well again. Game was right in our hands. Both teams competed hard.

“We knew it would be a hard series. Love where we’re at. … We’re here, man. We’ll just keep grinding.”

The Wild will have to grind their way through a familiar script that its fans know all too well when it comes to playoff history, marking the fifth time the Wild have taken a 2-1 series lead only to lose Game 4 and see the series get tied up.

The Wild have never taken a 3-1 series lead in 14 Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances. So far, the Wild are 1-3 in series when they had a 2-1 lead, winning the first round against St. Louis in 2015 but losing series in 2008, 2022 and 2023. They’d like to reverse that trend and make that record a 2-3 mark by winning this series against Vegas.

Can this time be different?
Every series is different, and this one has shown Wild sparks that would indicate the outcome could be a victorious one for Minnesota. The Wild’s playoff history is filled with losses where the team has had trouble scoring goals. Whether it was matching up against a hot goaltender or not, the Wild have struggled to finish plays and ultimately put the puck in the net, despite playing well and generating plenty of scoring chances. The Wild have had their opportunities over the years, failed to capitalize on them, and now it’s been a decade since the franchise has won a playoff series.

Two years ago, the Wild were up 2-1 in the series against the Dallas Stars before losing in six games. After the loss, forward Ryan Hartman offered a common refrain about what was missing to get the win.

Ryan Hartman has one assist in each of the first four games of this series against Vegas. In his last nine career playoff games, Hartman has two goals and seven assists. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“There’s opportunities throughout this series where we could have not necessarily put the nail in the coffin, but we could have separated ourselves a little bit more,” Hartman said, after the series loss in 2023. “We failed to capitalize on opportunities throughout the series.”

So far, the Wild have capitalized on its opportunities this time around, with the biggest exception being in overtime Saturday. The Wild also had a power play about eight minutes into overtime but failed to end the game.

Now the Wild needs to prove that this year and this team are different. Turning this series into effectively a best-of-three means the Wild, a better road team than home team this season, will have to win at least one game in Vegas if it’s going to advance. Foligno, who’s scored a goal in each of the past three games, likes this Wild team as one to chart a winning course this time.

“I like the experience that we have from those previous playoff runs where we’re right there,” Foligno said, after Game 4. “We worked really hard tonight. The way we answered and came back after their goal is the mental toughness that we’ve been showing all year. 2-2 doesn’t scare us.”

The Boldy-Kaprizov connection
This 2025 playoffs stage hasn’t been too big for the Wild’s top players either. The top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy has been a lightning rod for the team’s offense in the playoffs. Having Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek return near the end of the regular season from their lengthy absences due to injury has been the boost the team needed.

The wild’s top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy (left) and Joel Eriksson Ek (right) have combined for 15 points through the first four games of the playoff series against Vegas. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Boldy’s also exploded with his offensive production. He came into series with just two goals in 12 career playoff games. This time around, he’s scored four goals and two assists in the first three games; he was held off the scoresheet on Saturday. He scored both Wild goals in Game 1 and became the second player in franchise history with three consecutive team goals in the postseason, joining Marian Gaborik who accomplished the feat in the 2003 second round series.

Kaprizov, who’s come back strong after missing most of the Wild games since Christmas with a lower-body injury that required surgery, has kept pace with Boldy. He also has four goals and added an assist Saturday on his 28th birthday to bring his playoff points total to eight in four games so far. His 14 career playoff goals are only two shy of Zach Parise’s 16 for the most in franchise history.

It’s all part of that cliché: Your best players have to be your best players.

“Those guys bring it every night, whether the puck is going in or not,” said Wild defenseman Brock Faber, after Game 3. “Just their work ethic on the ice – they’re the hardest workers and the most skilled players. So, when you got two guys who have both those traits, they’re hard to stop and we’re hard to beat.

“It’s definitely fun to watch those guys.”

In net, the Wild have gotten what they need from Filip Gustavsson, too. He made 42 saves on Saturday despite getting tagged with the loss. He made plenty of spectacular saves to keep Vegas at bay throughout the game.

Filip Gustavsson’s 42 saves in Game 4 are tied for the fifth-highest total in the Wild’s postseason history. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson was also upbeat and pleased with the effort from the team, even if the result wasn’t there for them at the end.

“You always hate losing,” Gustavsson said. “But you know, hockey’s a team sport. You can have a great day and you still lose. It’s all about the team. You win and lose together.

“I think the feeling in the locker room is very good. Everyone has a lot of confidence right now.”

They’ll need to make sure they pack that positivity with them.  With this series against Vegas tied 2-2 in the present day, the Wild will head back to Vegas trying to buck the historical trends of the franchise’s results.

Hynes said his players are “dialed in,” and there’s a belief in how they’re playing right now. He added that they’ve been resilient all year. They’ll move on to Game 5 Tuesday in Vegas. They feel confident headed into that game, Foligno said, adding that “the road doesn’t faze this team.”

“We had to win two games to win this series this morning,” Hartman said. “It’s still the same way; we’ve still got to win two hockey games.”

Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights

The post Win, Lose, Series Draw appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

The post Gallery: Wild vs. Golden Knights appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Two players also made debuts with the Wild this season. Here are five rules from the one-goal loss to Vegas:

1. Kirill Kaprizov is thrilling – as always – and is tied for the NHL lead with 22 goals.

Kaprizov is just putting on a show.

He scored both Wild goals Sunday night, his first giving the Wild a 1-0 lead only 1 minute, 30 seconds into the game. His season goal total is now at 22 tallies, tied for the NHL lead with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl. Kaprizov also leads the league with six multi-goal games, although he’s still looking for his first hat trick this season.

The Wild celebrate one of Kirill Kaprizov’s goals against Vegas on Dec. 15 at Xcel Energy Center. Mats Zuccarello (right) assisted on each goal. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Kaprizov has four goals over his last two games and his 22 goals in 30 games means he has the most goals by a Wild player through 30 games played in a season. That’s a better mark than previous Wild stud Marian Gaborik, who scored 20 goals in 33 games during the 2006-07 season.

On his second goal against Ilya Samsonov, a friend of Kaprizov’s, the Wild winger pointed to the puck in the net after Samsonov appeared to freeze in the crease with his glove arm elevated. On the play, Kaprizov grabbed the puck out of the air, placed it on the ice in the circle and fired it top-shelf, over Samsonzov’s shoulder.

“I just saw it was in,” Kaprizov said, even though he didn’t see any fans immediately jumping for joy. It was just a delayed reaction.

2. Peanut butter and jelly combine for a pair of goals.

With Mats Zuccarello back from injury this weekend, he’s reunited on the right wing with his buddy Kaprizov on the opposite wing. Zuccarello assisted on both of Kaprizov’s goals against Vegas. The first one took some work as Zuccarello wrestled the puck below the goal line and fed it to Kaprizov who was all alone in front of the net.

“It’s nice for Zuccy,” said Kaprizov, who added that Zuccarello didn’t play for a month but played well right away upon his return. “He did a great job. I’m happy for him.”

It’s fun seeing these two play together, said winger Marcus Foligno.

“It’s good for our team,” Foligno said. “It’s the way they play. They think so much alike. And it’s a special duo for sure.”

Zuccarello, who missed 13 games due to injury, notched his 37th multi-assist game wearing a Wild sweater. That passed Pierre-Marc Bouchard’s 36 multi-goal games for fifth in franchise history.

3. Jesper Wallstadt made 24 saves in his season debut with the Wild.

Jesper Wallstadt had a quick turnaround getting to St. Paul to make his season debut with the Wild. It’s the fourth regular-season start for him with Minnesota. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Goaltender Jesper Wallstadt got the nod in net after he was called up Saturday under emergency conditions. Marc-Andre Fleury started against Philadelphia that afternoon, and Filip Gustavsson is dealing with an injury that Wild coach John Hynes said isn’t anything major.

Wallstadt allowed three goals on 27 shots against Vegas, taking the one-goal loss. Hynes said Wallstadt, who’s had a rough season with the Iowa Wild, “looked comfortable in net.”

“I think both teams battled,” Hynes said. “They (Vegas) were fortunate to get one more than we got.”

It marked Wallstedt’s fourth career start with the Wild but first at Xcel Energy Center during the regular season. He has a 3.05 goals-against average and .895 save percentage in four starts with the Wild.

“I was in the rink for a game less than 24 hours after I knew I was getting called up,” Wallstedt said. “So, it was quick, but fun being back and playing. But obviously I would have wanted the win.”

4. Travis Dermott registers 2 shots, 1 takeaway in his Wild debut.

The dawn of a new day lately seems to bring a new Wild player dealing with an injury. After defenseman Jake Middleton left Thursday’s game against Edmonton only 37 seconds into the contest with an upper-body injury, the Wild picked up Travis Dermott off waivers on Friday.

Dermott, who was with Edmonton, didn’t get left behind last week and instead dealt with a frantic travel schedule to reach Minnesota – again – and suit up for his new team. He said after Sunday’s game against Vegas that the quick turnaround was better for him, so he didn’t “overthink anything.”

He dressed with the Wild as the seventh defenseman as part of the Wild’s 11 forwards, seven defensemen lineup. He played 10 shifts in 7 minutes, 47 seconds of ice time against Vegas, his first game since Nov. 19 after a bunch of healthy scratches.

“The first (period) felt like I was gripping my stick a little tight, but as the game went along, you kind of sink into your natural activities,” Dermott said. “I’ve been playing hockey my whole life, so I think it comes back to you quick and it helps even more that these guys are so accommodating.”

Dermott put up two shots and a takeaway on the stats sheet against Vegas.

5. Hockey Hall of Famers say “Let’s Play Hockey!”

Wrapping up the end of the Wild’s recognition of Girls’ Hockey Weekend, the organization brought in Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell-Pohl to lead fans in the “Let’s Play Hockey!” call at the start of Sunday’s game.

Darwitz and Wendell-Pohl, longtime friends and former hockey teammates at various levels, were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto together last month.

The Wild also hosted girls’ hockey clinics on the Xcel Energy Center ice following the Wild vs. Flyers game on Saturday afternoon.

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Fleury’s three stops — Vegas, Chicago and Minnesota — since leaving the Penguins are a far smaller part of his story. Still, fans of the Golden Knights, Blackhawks and Wild should count themselves lucky that they have gotten to watch the future Hall of Famer make spectacular diving saves, flash his glove on stops that look straight out of the 1980s and play the game with a joy that make it difficult to believe he turned 39 in November.

In what has been a roller-coaster season for a Wild team that fired coach Dean Evason in late November, got close to a wild card spot by winning 11 of its first 14 games under new coach John Hynes, but then went 1-5 to fall back in the playoff race, there hasn’t been much reason for excitement.

Fleury, though, has been an exception, even if the extremely competitive netminder is unlikely to admit it. The milestones he has reached in recent weeks are a reminder that Fleury’s teammates and Wild fans are witnessing a player who belongs among hockey’s royalty.

Fleury’s workload has been more than anyone expected, or the Wild wanted, in part because a recent lower body injury to No. 1 goalie Filip Gustavsson has forced the veteran into the top role.

Nick Bjugstad’s breakaway goal past a sprawling Marc-Andre Fleury sealed Minnesota’s Game 6 victory over Vegas in 2021. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

A day after Gustavsson had to leave a start at Winnipeg, Fleury played in his 1,000th game in a 3-2 loss to the Jets, joining Martin Brodeur (1,266 games), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) as the only goalies to reach that mark. A week later, the Wild’s 4-3 overtime win at Columbus gave Fleury his 551st career victory, tying Roy for second place on the all-time list behind Brodeur’s 691 victories.

“I don’t know, I’m kind of happy it’s over,” Fleury said after playing in his 1,000th game. “I wish it was a win. … Obviously, very flattered by the reception from the crowd, from my teammates. It means a lot. I feel very fortunate that I’ve played for so long and I’ve got to do what I love for many years. I’m lucky for that.”

Oh, yeah, have we mentioned that there might be no bigger class act in the NHL than Fleury? He is the dream of any public relations department. Fleury answers every question after good games or bad games, the latter is the test of a player’s character, and often does it with a self-deprecating, aw-shucks approach more befitting of a rookie than a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

“We’re so proud to have him here as a teammate and as good of a player as he is on the ice, off ice he’s even better,” Wild winger Marcus Foligno said after Fleury’s 1,000th game. “We’re lucky to have him in our room, and it’s great to be a part of something so special in a player’s career.”

Marc-Andre Fleury makes plenty of eye-popping, acrobatic saves in net. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

He’s still got it
The question is how much longer Fleury will continue to play? His incredible glove save on Columbus’ Yegor Chinakhov in overtime came right before Marco Rossi ended the game and (rightfully) was all anyone was talking about afterward. Even in an ugly 4-0 loss to Dallas on Monday night, Fleury made a spectacular, swiping glove save on the goal line on a shot from a stunned Sam Steel.

It’s those type of saves — not to mention the joy he takes in being a top-level prankster — that make you wonder why Fleury would consider hanging up his goalie pads. But there is the reality of the situation. Fleury and his wife have three children and being a goalie nearing the age of 40 isn’t compatible with stability.

Fleury and his family already have filed more than one change of address notice in recent years.

He was taken by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft and became a fan favorite during his four seasons with the Golden Knights. Fleury started 20 games in the 2018 playoffs as the expansion Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals. Vegas moved on from Fleury in July 2021 and he started 45 games with the Chicago Blackhawks that season before being dealt to the Wild at the 2022 trade deadline for a second-round pick.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who had been a teammate of Fleury’s for two seasons at the end of his career in Pittsburgh, made the trade hoping the goalie would frustrate opponents like he did the Wild in the first round of the 2021 postseason. Fleury had similar aspirations, waiving his no-trade clause in the process.

Fleury has played in 1,000 career NHL games. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The Wild, however, were bounced in the first round in 2022 by the St. Louis Blues with Fleury as the main goalie, and then last spring by the Stars with Fleury as the backup. Given the Wild’s current status, it’s getting more and more difficult to believe their will be a playoff appearance this spring.

Fleury is in the final season of a two-year, $7 million contract and has no-move protection. You have to believe Guerin will do everything to place him with a contender, if the Wild continue to stumble and Fleury expresses an interest at making one last playoff run.

That will be up to Fleury.

He is more than deserving of calling his own shots at this point. But as his time in Minnesota winds down, Gustavsson and rookie Jesper Wallstedt are likely to be the Wild’s goalie duo next season, we should appreciate the brief opportunity we will have gotten to be in the midst of goaltending greatness.

The post A Joyful Fleury appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

This spring marks 20 years since the Wild made their franchise-best playoff run to the Western Conference finals. Fans who watched that unexpected and remarkable journey have many great memories: Richard Park’s overtime goal in Game 6 of the first round against Colorado; Andrew Brunette’s OT goal the following night that eliminated the Avalanche; and the Wild rallying from down 3-1 against both the Avs and Canucks to win the first two series.

One of the biggest reasons for the Wild’s success was the man behind the bench. Jacques Lemaire, a part of eight Stanley Cup winning teams as a player with Montreal and a Cup winning coach with New Jersey in 1994-95, proved to be a marvelous tactician as he outcoached the inexperienced Tony Granato and the Canucks’ Marc Crawford before the Wild was swept in the conference finals by Anaheim.

Lemaire’s coaching, combined with his players’ work ethic, a commitment to playing within a certain structure, the presence of two quality goaltenders and star winger Marian Gaborik, made the improbable possible.

Sound familiar?

The NHL has opened up its game to be a far more exciting product than it was in 2003, but this Wild team has many of the same qualities. There might not be a lot of star talent up front but winger Kirill Kaprizov is among the league’s most dynamic players and there is no doubting the work ethic of those around him. There also is a structure to the system that was lacking last season. Filip Gustavsson and veteran Marc-Andre Fleury provide a solid 1-2 punch in goal, just as Manny Fernandez and Dwayne Roloson did 20 years ago.

The X-factor as the Wild gets set to start their opening round series at Dallas on Monday is coach Dean Evason.

Evason has done an excellent job in the regular season since taking over for Bruce Boudreau in February 2020. In three full seasons, Evason has guided the Wild to a 75-point and third-place finish in 2020-21 (a pandemic-impacted season was only 56 games); a 113-point and second-place finish in the Central Division in 2021-22; and a 103-point and third-place finish in the Central this season.

Former Wild coach Bruce Boudreau talks strategy with assistant coach Dean Evason in a Jan. 12, 2020 game vs. Vancouver at Xcel Energy Center. Evason would replace Boudreau 33 days later while Boudreau would eventually take over behind the Canucks’ bench. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

But that success has not carried into the playoffs for the Wild or Evason. Evason’s issues in the playoffs date far beyond his arrival in Minnesota. He was given a pass for how the 2020 season ended, considering it was halted in early March because of the pandemic and didn’t resume until the Wild took part in the playoff qualifying tournament that August in the Edmonton bubble. Minnesota won the opening game of the best-of-five series against Vancouver before dropping the next three.

The following season, the Wild lost in seven games in the opening round to the Vegas Golden Knights and last season went out in six games against the St. Louis Blues, despite having home-ice advantage. That series was concerning because while Blues coach Craig Berube was willing to make quick adjustments — including replacing goalie Ville Husso with Jordan Binnington with the Blues trailing 2-1 — Evason seemed intent on standing pat.

The Wild was on the brink of elimination by the time Evason decided to sit Fleury and start Cam Talbot in goal for Game 6. The Blues cruised to a 5-1 and outscored Minnesota 15-5 in the final three games. It would have been one thing if Talbot had been a backup all season, but he was the Wild’s primary starter before Fleury was acquired at the trade deadline and finished the regular season on a 13-0-3 run.

Minnesota goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury gloves a puck blasted off the stick of St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko, one of 32 for Fleury in the Wild’s 6-2 win over the Blues in Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff first-round series on May 4, 2022 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Evason’s failure to make changes was bewildering considering the urgency that comes in the playoffs and the necessity for a coach to make tough and sometimes unpopular decisions.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who welcomes tough decisions and always has high expectations, likely will be very interested to see how his coach handles this series. 

What will make this more interesting is Evason’s lack of postseason success as a head coach at any level.

He spent six seasons leading the Nashville Predators’ American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee and guided the Admirals to four playoff appearances. This resulted in a 1-12 record and four first-round exits. 

Evason’s time in junior hockey was only slightly more successful.

He spent six seasons in the Western Hockey League — coaching Kamloops, Vancouver and Calgary, where he was co-coach in 2004-05 — with his teams winning two first-round series and never getting past the second round.

The Wild, with or without Evason, have had about as much playoff success as their coach. Minnesota hasn’t advanced beyond the second round since Lemaire’s team overachieved in the franchise’s third season and the last time they won a first-round series was in 2015 with Mike Yeo behind the bench. The Wild have been in the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons, if you include the qualifying round in 2020, but have gone 10-23 in losing in the opening round each time.

Wild GM Bill Guerin expresses his displeasure during Minnesota’s 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on March 18, 2023 at Xcel Energy Center (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Despite likely being without top center Joel Eriksson Ek in this series because of a lower body injury, there is an expectation both internally and externally that it’s time for the Wild to end their playoff drought. This current stretch of first-round defeats began in 2016 with a 4-2 series loss to Dallas and now it can end with a victory over the franchise that was based in Minnesota before relocating 30 years ago.

For that to happen, Evason is going to have to get the best of Dallas coach Pete DeBoer, who was Vegas’ coach two years ago when the Golden Knights eliminated the Wild. Evason, like Lemaire, is going to have to push many of the right buttons and make quicker adjustments than he often does in the regular season. Line shuffling, goalie changes and sitting veterans he likes are part of the job description this time of year.

If Evason doesn’t do those things, Guerin will have to start considering whether he has the right guy coaching his team when it matters most.

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Marc-Andre Fleury appears pleased with his new surroundings. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

So it should have come as no surprise that Guerin again showed that being good isn’t good enough as he made multiple deals before the NHL trade deadline on Monday. The biggest landed future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from Chicago for a conditional second-round pick that will become a first-rounder if the Wild reaches the Western Conference Finals and Fleury wins at least four games in the opening two rounds. (Guerin would happily walk that first-round pick to Chicago if that happens.)

These guys have done their part to today, so I have to do my part. — Wild GM Bill Guerin

Guerin also sent backup goalie Kaapo Kahkonen to San Jose, along with a fifth-round pick, for big defenseman Jacob Middleton. This came two days after the Wild obtained fourth-line winger Nicolas Deslauriers from Anaheim for a 2023 third-round pick. Guerin started his deadline-related maneuvers last Tuesday by acquiring center Tyson Jost from the Avalanche for Nico Sturm.

There had been some feeling that Guerin might not want to make too many changes because the Wild had become a cohesive team and sending players packing, or having guys come in and take their jobs, might not be the best idea with the playoffs around the corner. Guerin, however, didn’t win two Stanley Cup titles as a player, including one with Fleury in 2009, and two more as an executive with the Penguins by worrying about whose feelings were getting hurt.

Is disrupting chemistry something that Guerin had to consider? Of course. But far more important was bringing in guys who can help the Wild capitalize on what has looked like a special season at times but also featured some troublesome bumps in the road.

Fleury denies Kevin Fiala en route to a 35-save, 4-0 win over Minnesota in Game 4 of the Wild’s Stanley Cup playoff first-round series with the Vegas Golden Knight’s on May 22, 2021 at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

“These guys have done their part to today,” Guerin said, “so I have to do my part. And, you know what? It’s because of them. It’s not what I’m doing today, it’s because of what these guys have done all year and the way that they’ve played and the way that they’ve changed things around here. This is a credit to them. Like I said, I’m doing my job, I’m doing my part.”

It would have been far more concerning if Guerin had done nothing in goal after starter Cam Talbot and Kahknonen failed to show the type of consistency needed for a team that wants to make it past the first round. By many measures, the Wild goaltending situation couldn’t be trusted. Fleury, 37, posted a 2.95 goals-against average and .908 save percentage in 45 games, but that was playing behind a bad Chicago team that had high hopes when it acquired him from Vegas last offseason.

Fleury was coming off a season in which he won the Vezina Trophy with the Golden Knights. He posted a 1.98 goals-against average and .928 saves percentage and then played in all seven games in the opening round as Vegas eliminated Minnesota. It was Fleury who also helped lead the expansion Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2018.

The 18-year veteran is considered hockey royalty and one of the better locker room guys in the sport. Fleury should be rejuvenated in Minnesota and the Wild locker room should be equally excited to add a player many members of the Wild probably looked up to as kids.

It was on the opening day of training camp this season that Guerin addressed the team in a clip that caught the attention of many. The GM asked his players if they “knew what this was all about?” Silence followed until Guerin called on Spurgeon. “Hard working and having fun,” Spurgeon responded. The words had barely gotten out of Spurgeon’s mouth when Guerin snapped back, “(Bleep) that. This is about winning.”

Much remains to be expected from Cam Talbot, both in the crease and in the dressing room, for the Wild to achieve postseason success. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Assurances were given shortly thereafter that there was nothing staged about this moment. Spurgeon had responded with what he believed to be the correct answer and one that for years probably would have been tolerated by a franchise that was used to quick playoff exits. But if Guerin was serious about his response he needed to do more than pay lip service to the stated goal. He needed to provide action that will knock Talbot into a backup role, that will cost a fourth-line winger his spot and also put a top six defenseman into the press box.

The Wild had gotten off to a 19-5-1 start that put them in first place in the NHL and had a 9-0-1 run at another point. But it had become clear the Wild needed help in net — Talbot’s five-game winning streak was nice but didn’t change Guerin’s mind — and needed to be bigger, meaner and tougher to have a chance in the postseason.

Middleton brings size (6-foot-3, 219 pounds) and is a shutdown defenseman. Deslauriers will take care of anyone who happens to bother Kirill Kaprizov, meaning Marcus Foligno can focus on staying on the ice. The teams that pushed the Wild around in recent weeks have been put on notice, and the high-flying Avalanche now will have to watch their backs against the Wild.

This provides no guarantees the Wild will make a run in the postseason, but it does reiterate Guerin’s message: Bleeping winning is more important than anything else.

The post No Mixed Messages appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Facing elimination for the second game in a row, the Wild outlasted Vegas in a tight-checking, no-one-wants-to-make-a-mistake Game 6 on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Wild broke through the scoreless tie for a trio of third-period goals on the way to a 3-0 victory and their second shutout of the series.

“It’s an elimination game, and those types of games are just a game of mistakes,” said forward Ryan Hartman, who scored his second goal of the series Wednesday. “It’s who’s going to budge first.”

Not only did the Wild score three goals in front of 4,500 home fans, they completed a couple of pretty plays in the process. Early in the third period veteran Zach Parise, playing in only his third game of the series after sitting as a healthy scratch, got the first scoring play started. At center ice, he thread the needle perfectly for teammate Kevin Fiala, bouncing a pass off the boards toward Fiala who entered the zone with Hartman on the other side. Fiala finished the play with a cross-ice pass to Hartman who made no mistake roofing the puck over a sliding, tumbling Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Wild then held the all-important 1-0 lead.

The Wild have won three games in this series. Goaltender Cam Talbot has been a major factor in all of them. That might sound a bit obvious, considering he’s the goalie and teams in the playoffs need a good goalie to advance. But Talbot has two shutouts this series (1-0 in overtime in Game 1), and he hasn’t given up a few of those fluky, back-breaking goals like Wild fans have grown accustomed to seeing in the past from other netminders.

According to NHL Stats, per Minnesota Wild PR on Twitter, Talbot recorded the first shutout at home in franchise history a game the Wild faced elimination.

Vegas forward — and Wild nemesis — Alex Tuch gets a bird’s-eye view of one of Cam Talbot’s 23 saves en route to shutting out the Golden Knights. Photo by Rick Olson for MHM

Talbot didn’t necessarily steal Game 6, but he came up with big saves when needed and stopped all shots. Can’t ask for much more than that. One thing that’s been a factor in this series is quick answers when a team scores (some pucks in the net didn’t count, but that’s another story). About two minutes after the Wild made it 1-0 Wednesday, Talbot slid to his left and followed the puck along the ice to hold the lead for his team.

Talbot credited his teammates in front of him for helping the Wild to play what he called “probably our most complete game of the series.”

“I’m just trying to go out there and play my game and give us a chance to win,” Talbot said. “So I’m just playing behind an elite group in front of me.”

He’s a goaltender with a calm demeanor and doesn’t get too animated, Hartman said.

“He makes saves look easy, and he gets over for the hard ones as well,” Hartman said. “ We love having him back there for confidence.”

A couple of minutes after that big save for Talbot, Vegas center Chandler Stephenson fired a shot through traffic that landed in the Wild’s net. But Alex Tuch was clearly in the blue paint. The official signaled goal before the official call on the ice was no-goal. Vegas challenged, and this time was unsuccessful. So, the goaltender interference battle is all even and forgotten now, right Wild fans?

The Wild also didn’t have a power-play goal this series. Even when the home fans begged for calls, the Wild didn’t do much with any chances given. That tide also turned Wednesday with the delay of game penalty on Vegas following the no-goal call.

With about 10 minutes to play in the third period and the man advantage, Fiala took a feed from Jared Spurgeon and bounced a long shot toward the net and through Fleury. He was pretty pumped in his celebration, a much different look than last game when he broke his stick over the net in frustration at his lack of goal production. His first goal of the series didn’t come until Game 6, but it was a sigh of relief.

Still, there was a lot of time left for what some might dub the “worst lead in hockey” at 2-0. But the Wild sealed their fate to play another day with 4 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in regulation. The speedy Nico Sturm worked along the boards to feed a pass to Nick Bjugstad in the offensive zone after he got by the Vegas defense. Bjugstad skated through the slot and patiently scored with a backhander as Fleury flopped and tumbled on the ice.

The Wild didn’t let Vegas get a chance at any comeback momentum. It was 3-0 at the final horn with Wild fans cheering and waving their rally towels.

“I think the players deserve a lot of credit for just believing, and believing in each other, and I think that’s been the key – not just in the playoffs, it’s been key from Day 1 with this group,” said Wild coach Dean Evason.

Nick Bjugstad’s breakaway goal past a sprawling Marc-Andre Fleury sealed Minnesota’s Game 6 victory over Vegas. Photo by Rick Olson for MHM

If the Wild are going to pull off a series victory, they’ll do it having overcome a three-games-to-one deficit. It might not mean much to the current roster of Wild players, except maybe Blaine native Bjugstad, but the Wild has been in this spot before. The 2003 squad surprised the hockey gods by overcoming two 3-to-1 deficits against Colorado and Vancouver.

No, this 2021 Wild team has nothing to do with the 2003 team. Yes, Wild fans are free to relive those fond memories in order to hold out hope that this year their favorite team can watch another Wild opponent blow a 3-1 series lead.

“We don’t know the results in a couple days, but we know that we’re in it,” Evason said. “We know we can compete. We know we’re going to battle. At the end of the night, we’ll see where we sit.”

The winner faces an awaiting Colorado Avalanche team that should be pretty rested after its sweep of the St. Louis Blues. The jottings have been noted about Vegas, still only in its fourth season as a franchise, being battled tested and playoff-tested. A trip to the Stanley Cup Final in its first year will provide that kind of clout.

A Vegas-Colorado matchup will make for some great hockey. Though nostalgic Wild fans know how fun the rivalry with the Avalanche can be. There’s 2003, of course. And Nino Niederreiter’s overtime series-clincher in 2014. Besides the playoffs, Colorado is the only team that’s remained in the same division as the Wild for Minnesota’s entire franchise history.

Colorado finished first in the division this season for a reason, however. It’s definitely the favorite to win the next series, no matter the opponent.

Getting there, Fiala knows, won’t be easy to overcome a 3-1 deficit.

“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Fiala said. “It’s been a weird year, you know. We stuck together the whole year.

“I have a lot of confidence in my group and guys, now let’s do it.”

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