Marc-Andre Fleury needs five more victories to pass Patrick Roy for second place on the NHL’s all-time wins list. Where – and when – will the monumental victory occur?
Look out, Patrick Roy: with 547 career victories, Marc-Andre Fleury is only five wins from becoming the NHL’s No. 2 goalie in all-time wins.
Barring injury, it’s certain to happen this season, and it’ll be a historic moment you won’t want to miss – but as of right now, it’s impossible to know precisely when Fleury will achieve career victory No. 552. So, let's do our best to map out when ‘Flower’ will have his magical night.
Fleury and Filip Gustavsson usually take two starts at a time for the Minnesota Wild, which gives us a rough estimate of Fleury’s projected starts and allows us to break down his chances of earning a win when he gets the net.
Nov. 18 at Ottawa Senators / Nov. 19 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
The hope is Fleury starts versus the Sens, whom he has a great history playing against, including winning his past seven starts in a row. The Wild also have a 12-2-1 record versus the Sens in their past 15 matchups and have lost only once to Ottawa since 2016. If Fleury starts versus the Leafs instead, that may not be good news as he’s lost four of his past five against the Buds and could take another one here if they put him in net.
Prediction: Wild and Fleury blow past Sens if he starts and gets win No. 548. Lose to Leafs in close game.
Nov. 24 vs. Colorado Avalanche
Fleury may not start versus the Avs, but if he does, the Wild have a chance, as they’ve won three of the past five games in this matchup. Fleury has also split his two starts against the Avs since joining the Wild and could help Minnesota pull off an upset, but it won’t be easy against a powerful Colorado side.
Prediction: Avs win by one or two.
Nov. 26 at Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings have a 2-4-1 record in their past seven games, and they’re about to play some tough competition with matchups against the Senators, Leafs, Devils and Bruins on their upcoming schedule. This Wings could be a struggling outfit by Nov. 26, giving the Wild – and perhaps Fleury – a chance to capitalize.
Prediction: Fleury helps Wild in a hard-fought battle for win No. 549.
Nov. 28 vs. St. Louis Blues / Nov. 30 at Nashville Predators
The Wild’s goalie rotation likely means Fleury won’t start in both of these two games, but his best chance would be versus the Blues, against whom he has a mixed history with a 4-3-0 record in the last two seasons. It’s certainly not as pretty versus Nashville, as the Wild have a 3-6-1 record against the Preds in their past 10 matchups.
Prediction: If he starts, he wins a close game with momentum over the Blues for win No. 550 but loses to the Preds.
Dec. 3 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Fleury, dating back to 2018, has beaten the Blackhawks in eight of nine starts, and he’s riding a three-game winning streak against Chicago into this one. The Wild have also dominated the Blackhawks, winning nine straight matchups, and haven’t lost to them since late 2019. Connor Bedard has made the Blackhawks feisty, but the history of dominance from Fleury and the Wild makes this a great chance for a win.
Prediction: Fleury and Wild easily win, tying Roy for the No. 2 all-time spot.
Dec. 5 at Calgary Flames
Fleury and the Wild may find themselves in a tough spot versus Calgary as this game is almost a month away, and the floundering Flames could right the ship by that point. Not to mention, they have a good history versus the Wild, with a 6-1-1 record in their past eight games against Minnesota. This could be a surprisingly tough game for Fleury and the Wild.
Prediction: Flames win a scrappy, low-scoring game.
Dec. 7 at Vancouver Canucks / Dec. 8 at Edmonton Oilers
The culmination of their young core finally coming into their own makes the Canucks team of the last opponents you want to face this season. Fleury has had success in the past versus the Canucks, but this young team is different and makes you throw history out the window. This one will be a tough one for Fleury to win.
If he starts versus the Oilers instead, Fleury has won two of three starts versus Edmonton since joining the Wild. If the Wild offense can heat up and score on an Edmonton team that has been one of the worst on defense to start the season, they could possibly get a tough win in a tough spot and push Fleury past Roy in Edmonton.
Prediction: Lose to Canucks decisively, or becomes No. 2 all-time with emphatic win over Oilers.
