Critical homestand ST. PAUL — It’s finally official. Marc-Andre Fleury has sole possession of second place all-time in regular-season victories. Fleury’s 21-save shutout performance on Monday night helped lift the Wild to a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders inside Xcel Energy Center. The shutout a fitting way to end a historic night, where he passed Patrick Roy with career win No. 552 for second behind Martin Brodeur at 691 wins. As soon as the clock hit zero, the celebration began. “It was special,” Fleury said postgame. “We’ve had it rough lately. We haven’t won much. Just to win, just to win, it felt like a championship game a bit the way guys celebrated. Just kept their gloves on and stuff but it was a little crazy in there. Definitely fun and I’ll keep that in mind for the rest of my life.” Fleury, 39, entered the game tied with Roy after earning his 551st victory in the Wild’s 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Jan. 6. “He brings so much joy to the locker room, so much energy and positivity, and obviously great goaltending,” Marcus Foligno said postgame on Dec. 23. “It’s unbelievable. We’re lucky to have him.” The Wild will have a pregame ceremony on Fleury Night — which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 9, when they face his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. “He's a better guy than a goalie,” Mats Zuccarello said, “and that says a lot when you have the second-best goalie in the world…so far. We’ll see. He gets younger and younger — so you never know. It's really special for us to be part of that. That accomplishment is unbelievable.” Added Jonas Brodin: “It’s amazing. I was talking to some guys over there, ‘It’s so cool to be a part of and be playing with him.’ He’s probably the best guy I’ve ever played with there on the team. He cares about the team, and he’s such a good guy. I’m so happy for him. It’s pretty cool to play with a guy like that.” The future Hall of Famer became the fourth goalie in NHL history to play 1,000 games, a milestone he reached on home ice against the Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 31. Fleury also has the third-most saves all-time at 26,179, which is behind only Brodeur (28,928) and Roberto Luongo (28,409) in first and second, respectively. “I don’t know; It’s a little tough to think about, right?” Fleury said of putting his career in perspective. “(When) I came in, my dream was to play in the NHL. I was so happy to play that first game. “From then on, it was just one game at a time, one win at a time, trying to win the next one. I’ve been very fortunate to play with really great teams, great teammates, people that helped me stay healthy, right, throughout the journey. “It feels crazy to be here now.” Fleury earned win No. 552 in the Wild's win over the New York Islanders on Monday. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAzNTg5NzM1MzU5MTk1MDY3/usatsi_22202088.jpg] Fleury earned win No. 552 in the Wild's win over the New York Islanders on Monday. On Monday night, Fleury only faced 21 shots, but he turned them all aside — many of which were high quality. Fleury stopped five high-danger shots and saved 2.14 goals above expected, according to Natural Stat Trick. “It’s the second record basically he has now, and even the way he played tonight, we had a few breakdowns, and you need key saves at key times, and we got’em from him,” coach John Hynes said. “But I think if you look at how the team rushed out after the game to congratulate him, just what type of teammate he is and what he means to the NHL, every organization he’s played, particularly now with the Minnesota Wild, the fans, the team in general and the organization, he’s a special guy and a special player.” The Wild have had to depend more on Fleury as of late. He's had a larger workload in the month of January because of Filip Gustavsson's absence. Gustavsson, who returned Saturday in the Wild's loss to the Arizona Coyotes, missed seven games after sustaining a lower-body injury in Winnipeg on Dec. 30. Fleury played the third period of that game and then played six of seven games between Dec. 31 and Jan. 12. He also came in relief for Gustavsson on Saturday — making 14 saves on 15 shots. “I don’t have any words that could describe how special it is,” Freddy Gaudreau said on New Years Eve following Fleury’s 1,000th game. “...The thing that’s crazy about this thing, it’s not so much about the thousand games, it’s about how he’s done it. “He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. Still having fun. He looks like he’s 20 years old, taking every practice, every game…he’s the best person, best teammate. I feel very grateful that I’ve been able to share a locker room with him for a few years already.” Fleury, who is in the final year of his two-year contract with the Wild, has played with the Vegas Golden Knights, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota after playing his first 13 seasons with the Penguins. “We were just talking about it, some of the guys, it’s so cool to be a part of that night,” Foligno said postgame. “We’re happy to be a part of it. He’s had a lot of wins with obviously Pittsburgh, Vegas, Chicago and us, and just to be part of a guy’s Hall of Fame bound and such an amazing career and amazing person, happy to be the team that does it for him. He played great tonight. To get a shutout, too, it’s really special.” REQUIRED READING
