The Minnesota Wild got the point they needed to clinch a playoff spot, so they made a switch in goal.
With the score tied at 2-2 against the Anaheim Ducks after regulation, the Wild pulled goaltender Filip Gustavsson to give Marc-Andre Fleury the final regular-season action of his NHL career.
The 40-year-old from Sorel, Que., announced last April this season would be his last. He stopped all five shots he faced in 4:42 of overtime action before Matt Boldy received a pass from Marcus Johansson in the slot and fired the puck past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal for the OT-winner.
Fleury’s teammates swarmed him to celebrate win No. 575 in Game No. 1,051 of his 21-season career.
Afterward, Ducks players lined up to shake Fleury’s hand with fans giving a standing ovation and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida playing over the speakers.
‘Flower’ then saluted the crowd and fist-bumped his teammates as chants of “Fleury, Fleury, Fleury” emerged.
Heading into overtime, having already clinched a spot in the #StanleyCup Playoffs, the @mnwild put Marc-Andre Fleury in net. 🌸
The Wild won the game in the extra frame, and everyone in the building got to show their love for Flower after his final regular season game. 💚 pic.twitter.com/rGxFTGHMzA
— NHL (@NHL) April 16, 2025
Fleury has played and won the second-most regular-season games of any goaltender in NHL history, trailing only Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur in both categories. His 76 shutouts are tied for 10th all-time, and he has a career 575-339-2-95 record with a 2.60 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
He won the Stanley Cup three times with the Pittsburgh Penguins and also won the Vezina Trophy and the William M. Jennings Trophy with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020-21. He’s the Wild’s nominee for this year’s Masterton Trophy as well.
Minnesota just needed one point to clinch a playoff spot. With the extra point, the team finished in the first wild-card place in the Western Conference and will face Fleury’s former team, the Golden Knights, in the first round.
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