Marc-Andre Fleury solely in second place in all-time wins

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marc-Andre Fleury took sole possession of second place along with his 552nd win within the NHL, posting his 74th profession shutout because the Minnesota Wild defeated the New York Islanders 5-0 on Monday.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice on particular groups, Mats Zuccarello had a aim and an help, and Connor Dewar and Marcus Foligno additionally scored for the Wild, who’d gone 1-7-1 of their earlier 9 video games and loved a much-needed celebration of the 39-year-old Fleury passing Patrick Roy on the all-time record.

“I am glad it is over; we are able to cease speaking about it,” Fleury stated in his on-ice interview after the sport. “It is about time we bought one, however it’s an honor to be right here in Minnesota, to be in entrance of the followers. They have been nice, and so, that is superior.”

Fleury stopped 21 pictures in his first shutout of the season, after authoring a 1-4-1 stretch in his six earlier begins.

“The way in which he performed tonight, we had just a few breakdowns, and also you wanted key saves at key occasions,” Wild coach John Hynes stated. “And we bought them from him.”

The group chanted Fleury’s identify after a troublesome power-play save within the second interval, when the Wild outshot the sloppy and sluggish Islanders by a whopping 21-3.

“When you checked out how the group rushed out after the sport to congratulate him, it reveals what sort of teammate he’s and what he means to the NHL and each group he is performed for,” Hynes stated. “He is a particular man and a particular participant.”

The serenade for the favored French-Canadian participant nicknamed “Flower” arose once more within the closing minutes, and your complete Wild group mobbed him within the crease for postgame hugs.

Two of Fleury’s three youngsters — the opposite was recovering from tonsil surgical procedure — greeted him at his stall within the Wild locker room after the win. The group shortly introduced a celebration evening for Fleury on Feb. 9 when the Wild host the Pittsburgh Penguins, the group he received his three Stanley Cup titles with over 13 seasons.

He performed in one other Cup Closing with the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights, moved on to the Chicago Blackhawks after which arrived in Minnesota in a midseason commerce two years in the past for what has broadly been assumed to be the ultimate cease of his embellished profession. Fleury, who additionally has 92 wins and 16 shutouts in 169 playoff video games, has not revealed whether or not he’d prefer to play subsequent season after his contract expires this summer time.

“He is in all probability the most effective man I’ve ever performed with there on the group,” Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin stated. “He cares in regards to the group, and he is such a very good man. I am so joyful for him.”

Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves in two durations for the Islanders, setting a profession excessive by beginning an eleventh consecutive recreation. He’s the one goalie within the league who has confronted greater than 1,000 pictures up to now, with a median of greater than 34 allowed by the Islanders in his appearances this season.

Kenneth Appleby took over in web after the second intermission, with the Islanders trailing 3-0 and going through one other recreation the next evening. Semyon Varlamov has been sidelined for six video games and counting with a lower-body damage. Appleby made his first NHL look in almost six years, when he was with the New Jersey Devils. He let in a short-handed aim by Eriksson Ek then Foligno’s flip-in within the last minute.

The Islanders took six penalties, and Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek scored on the ability play. The Islanders have misplaced 4 of their previous 5 contests and now have dropped six consecutive video games to the Wild.

The Wild had been booed by their house followers two days prior throughout a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes that triggered a players-only assembly afterward, and Minnesota responded fairly effectively.

Wild normal supervisor Invoice Guerin stated earlier than Monday’s recreation he is not prepared to surrender on the playoffs and shed wage, regardless of the membership sitting effectively under the minimize in thirteenth place within the Western Convention.

Brodin returned from a 17-game absence as a consequence of an upper-body damage he sustained on Dec. 8, bringing the Wild as near full energy as they have been in almost three weeks.

Zuccarello scored on a power-play slap shot from behind the left circle simply 2:21 into the sport; it was his first aim in 20 video games after lacking 9 with an damage. Dewar ended a 17-game aim drought. Eriksson Ek had gone 10 straight video games with out scoring.

The Wild are 14-2-4 when scoring first. Their most up-to-date regulation win was on Dec. 27 in opposition to the Detroit Purple Wings.

Corridor of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur, who received three Stanley Cup titles with the Devils, holds the all-time document in entrance of Fleury with 691 wins.

The Related Press contributed to this report.