ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Wild (16-15-14) blew a one-goal, third-period lead en route to a 3-2 loss to their Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets (22-9-4) inside Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.
Marcus Foligno opened the scoring for the Wild with 1:53 left in the first period with his third goal in four games and Freddy Gaudreau restored the one-goal lead 3:56 into the third period after Adam Lowry tied the game 2:08 into the middle frame. But the Jets received third-period goals from Vladislav Namestnikov and Dominic Toninato en route to their 10th win in their past 13 contests.
The Wild played Sunday without injured Kirill Kaprizov, Vinni Lettieri and Filip Gustavsson — all injured in Saturday's loss — as well as Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin, who have been out the past seven and 10 games, respectively.
The loss ended the Wild's seven-game win streak at home and marked their first home loss under coach John Hynes. The Wild played much better against the Jets than they did in yesterday's loss in Winnipeg, but the result was the same.
The Wild closed out the calendar year with two straight losses to the Central-leading Jets after winning four in a row and seven of eight before the home-and-home series with the Jets this weekend.
The Wild finish December with a 9-5 record, which is a remarkable result considering all of the injuries they've had to their most important players this month. It's a testament to their turnaround under Hynes.
The Wild wrap up their three-game homestand against the Flames on Tuesday and the Lightning on Thursday.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
Fleury hits major milestone
Marc-Andre Fleury, 39, became the fourth goaltender all-time to reach the 1,000-game milestone in Sunday's loss as Martin Brodeur (1,266), Roberto Luongo (1,044) and Patrick Roy (1,029) are the only other three goalies who have accomplished the feat in NHL history.
"It's very special," Gaudreau said of sharing a locker room with Fleury. "I don't have any words that could describe how special it is. … 1,000 games for a goalie is crazy."
“Unbelievable. What a milestone," Foligno said of Fleury. “A thousand games for a player is obviously a lot easier than a goalie, so to see 1,000 games as a goalie played it’s amazing. What an accomplishment. We’re so proud to have him here as a teammate and as good as a player he is on ice, off ice he’s even better.
"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.”
Fleury made his 999th career appearance in Saturday's loss in Winnipeg when he played the third period — making nine saves on 10 shots — after Gustavsson couldn't play due to a second-period injury.
Fleury (550 wins) remains two victories away from passing Roy for sole possession of second place all-time in wins at 552. Fleury (26,016) became the third goalie in NHL history to reach the 26,000-save feat after stopping 26 of 29 shots he faced on Sunday. Only Brodeur (28,928) and Luongo (28,409) are ahead of him in the save category.
This wasn't Fleury's best performance this season, or even this month, but he kept the Wild in the game on numerous occasions, and he made six high-danger saves on Sunday, according to Natural Stat Trick, including a toe save in front on former Wild forward Nino Niederreiter inside the final 10 minutes.
“I’m kinda happy it’s over," Fleury said. "I wish it was a win. Disappointing. I thought the guys played great tonight, battled hard. It’s a better game than last night in Winnipeg. Two points is what’s important here. 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 got to do what I love for many years. I’m lucky for that.”
Johansson continues recent success
In the absence of Zuccarello, Johansson has stepped up and has four goals and eight points in seven games — where he has showcased his playmaking ability and speed. It appears that his slow start this season (only one goal and nine points in first 24 games) is behind him.
On Sunday, his recent hot streak and improved play as of late continued as he set up Gaudreau on the power play for the go-ahead goal. Johansson sent a cross slot feed from the right circle to Gaudreau, whose one-timer from the left circle beat Laurent Brossoit short side.
"Johansson's a very good skater," Hynes said. "I think over the last I'd say seven, eight games, he's really shown his speed, his playmaking ability, poise under pressure, and that's helped. ... "That's the game that Johansson needs to play, so it's nice to see that I think he's found his game, found the identity that he needs to play with to be successful and now you're seeing some of the end results, and he's being an impact player for us."
Faber almost delivers game-tying goal
With the Wild down 3-2, Faber almost pulled off a highlight-reel goal inside the final three minutes to tie the game. Faber showed off his poise and skill as he beat all five Jets en route to the net after cleanly entering the zone, but he lost the puck in front when he attempted to score on the backhand.
Faber continues to impress in his rookie campaign. The 21-year-old Maple Grove native has 16 points and a +11 rating through 35 games while averaging 24:43 a game. What's been especially impressive about Faber has been his ability to step up and handle difficult assignments this month amid injuries to Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin.