Marc-Andre Fleury made a season-high 36 saves to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks Saturday night at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
Fleury turned in a masterpiece when the Wild (27-12-4) really needed it as they've been marred by injuries in recent weeks. The Sharks (13-26-8) outshot the Wild 37-22, but it didn't matter as Fleury improved to 9-3-1 in his final season of NHL hockey.
Marco Rossi got Minnesota on the scoreboard first with his goal 5 minutes, 51 seconds into the first period. Matt Boldy gave the Wild a two-goal lead with his goal 4 minutes, 34 seconds into the second period, but the Sharks got back within one when William Eklund scored with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the second frame.
It remained a 2-1 Wild lead all the way through the third period. The Sharks couldn't find the equalizer against Fleury, and Mats Zuccarello scored an empty-netter with 1 minute, 17 seconds remaining for the final margin. It clinched a key win for the Wild.
Yaroslav Askarov made 19 saves on the 22 Wild shots.
It's a quick turnaround for the Wild, who travel from San Jose to Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights Sunday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
