31 December 2023
Marc-Andre Fleury became the fourth NHL goaltender to play 1,000 games, but Vladislav Namestnikov and Dominic Toninato each scored a power play goal in the third period as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Wild, 3-2, Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.
Playing without points leaders Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, the Wild surrendered two one-goal leads, the Wild opened leads of 1-0 late in the first period and 2-1 early in the third, but each time the Jets quickly answered.
Adam Lowry tied the game 1-1 with just more than 2 minutes off the clock in the second period, and Namestnikov tied the game on a power play goal less than a minute after Freddy Gaudreau had put the Wild up, 2-1, on a one-timer with 4 seconds left in a power play.
Toninato then scored on a delayed penalty to make 3-2 at 7:32 and the Jets held off the Wild to sweep a home-and-home series between the Central Division rivals. Winnipeg moved into first place in the division, a point ahead of Colorado pending the Avalanche’s late game at San Jose, and 12 ahead of seventh-place Minnesota.
The Wild remained four points out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot but have at least three teams ahead of them.
Gaudreau finished with a goal and assist, and Marcus Foligno have the Wild a 1-0 lead late in the first period when he deflected a Jared Spurgeon wrist shot past Laurent Brossoit at 18:07. Brossoit stopped 24 shots for the Jets.
Fleury, 39, stopped 26 of 29 shots and joined Martin Brodeur (1,266), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) on the career games-played list for a goaltender. He remains stuck behind Roy (551) for the second spot on the career wins list.
Minnesota pulled Fleury with 1:48 remaining and got a couple of shots on goal, including an open look for Spurgeon that Bossoit gloved with 16.5 seconds left.
Gaudreau one-timed a pass from Marcus Johansson off the hip of Laurent Brossoit and into the net for the go-ahead goal at 3:56 of the third period but Jake Middleton was called for tripping just 44 seconds later and Namestnikov scored off the faceoff on a shot that rebounded off of Fleury.
Ryan Hartman appeared to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead late in the first period but Winnipeg challenged the goal for offsides and won. The Wild, however, got their lead when Foligno re-directed Spurgeon’s shot past Brossoit at 18:07.