The Minnesota Wild absorbed another loss on Sunday, as they fell prey to the Pittsburgh Penguins via a score of 3-1. The Wild's defeat to the Pens at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota was also likely goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's final game involving Pittsburgh -- the team he spent his first 13 seasons in the NHL with.
Despite Minnesota's loss, Fleury had a reason to remember the contest, and it's not just because he patrolled the crease for what could be the last time he shared the ice with the Penguins.
According to the NHL, Fleury's start on Sunday was the 1,015th of his career, making him No. 2 all-time in goalie starts in the history of the league.
"Another achievement for Flower. And he accomplishes it against the team where it all began," the NHL posted on its Instagram account.
The 40-year-old Fleury, who will be retiring at the end of the 2024-25 season, moved past Hockey Hall of Famer netminder Roberto Luongo on the all-time starts list. The former Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks goalie had a total of 1,014 career starts, while New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur holds the record with 1,251.
On the season, Fleury has a 12-8-1 record with a 2.72 goals against average and .904 save percentage through 22 starts.
As for the Wild, they have gone winless in their last two games, as they suffered a 3-1 loss to the Canucks on the road last Friday before they hosted the Penguins. Minnesota dropped to 36-24-4 with 76 points, just fourth in the Central division standings. However, the Wild occupy the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
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