Marc-Andre Fleury will start again tonight for the Wild for his third straight start.
ST. PAUL - John Hynes made it clear during the first couple of weeks when he took over as the head coach of the Wild that he has a set monthly plan for the goaltenders.
Hynes said he sits down with the staff and Frederic Chabot, the Wild's goalie coach, and comes up with a goalie plan for the month. He rarely strays away from that plan but now in the final stretch of the season and the Wild battling for a playoff spot, Hynes may be straying away from the plan to start the hotter goaltender.
Tonight that's Fleury as he makes his third straight start.
“Yeah, certainly. I think, you have to, yeah. But even if you have a guy, and we have back-to-backs coming up, we have a lot of hockey, Flower’s played very well," Hynes said on if he is inclined to stick with the goaltender who gives him results. "He’s been very consistent. The results are there. The consistency in his game is there. He’s making game-changing saves.
"On the other side, I think Gus came in and played a really good game against Colorado against a high-octane team. So, I think, as I said, right now the plan is we need both guys to be at the top of their game."
Fleury, 39, is 8-2-0 since January 13th with a 2.11 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. There is no doubt Fleury has been playing good hockey so a third straight start is well deserved but is the veteran ready for that workload?
"Yeah. I love to play. Like I said, I love to battle, compete with those guys," Fleury said. "Every game, every night means a lot to get the win. And those games are fun to be a part of. You play for something big. It’s intense. The atmosphere is always good in the building, too, people are up on their feet when we get goals and stuff. It’s fun to be a part of it.
How does he feel?
"Yeah, feels good. Feels good to win," Fleury said. "Feels good to help once in a while. Sometimes when you play more you’re gonna, I don’t know it doesn’t feel as new every time you go back in. That’s the nice thing about it. But just happy to be battling with the guys here and just gotta keep winning here."
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