May 2, 2022; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) makes a save against the St. Louis Blues in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
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The Minnesota Wild clearly aren’t blaming Marc-Andre Fleury for their Game 1 loss to the Blues, as the future Hall of Famer will be back between the pipes for Wednesday night’s Game 2.
The St. Louis Blues have the Minnesota Wild’s number going back a while now, and that didn’t change in Game 1 of their playoff series Monday night in a 4-0 win on Minnesota’s home ice. Marc-Andre Fleury wasn’t his sharpest, but the play in front of him wasn’t always great and the Blues scored two power-play goals.
On Wednesday morning, Wild head coach Dean Evason appeared on 100.3 KFAN with Paul Allen. He was point-blank asked who would start in goal in Game 2 Wednesday night, and confirmed without hesitation it would be Fleury back between the pipes.
The Wild acquired Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 21, and he went 9-2 in 11 regular season starts for Minnesota. His acquisition also coincided with Cam Talbot playing better again, as he is 12-0-3 in his last 15 starts with a .920 save percentage and two shutouts. Calls for Talbot to start Game 1 will surely be followed by calls he should be starting Game 2 after the series-opening loss.
Minnesota clearly acquired Marc-Andre Fleury for the playoffs
Look no further than the details of the deal to know why the Wild traded for Fleury. A conditional second-round pick going back to the Blackhawks will become a first-rounder if Minnesota reaches the Western Conference Final, and Fleury wins four games in the first two rounds. He was acquired for the playoffs, with 11 regular-season starts as a warmup to keep him sharp. Three Stanley Cups as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and another Stanley Cup Final run with the Vegas Golden Knights, are the pelts on Fleury’s Hall of Fame wall.
Rebounds were a problem for Fleury in Game 1, and Evason clearly cited the need for better play in front of him to clean up those prime opportunities for the Blues. It’s really a must-win for the Wild on Wednesday night, lest they face an 0-2 hole going to St Louis. They will rest their fortunes on the goaltender they acquired for this time of year, right or wrong and as expected.
