Kirill Kaprizov scored the game-tying goal with 63 seconds remaining in the third period and Jared Spurgeon’s give-and-go goal from Kevin Fiala in overtime lifted the Minnesota Wild to a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday night in St. Paul.
Of course, the main story entering the game was the Wild debut of goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who stopped 23 of 25 shots in his first game since being traded to Minnesota from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Fleury, the three-time Stanley Cup champion, flashed his skills, especially at the end of the second period when he stonewalled multiple shots from the Blue Jackets to keep it a one-goal game.
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Trailing 2-1 late in the third period, Wild coach Dean Evason pulled Fleury for the extra attacked and it paid off as the Wild scored just moments after Joel Erkisson Ek won a faceoff in the Columbus zone, and then screen the goalie to allow Kaprizov’s shot to sneak by for the game-tying score.
Kaprizov scored both of Minnesota’s goals in regulation, giving him 35 on the season with 19 games to go. His 35 goals rank fourth in team history for goals in a season, just seven shy of the franchise record 42 scored by Marian Gaborik in 2007-08 and Eric Staal in 2017-18.
Minnesota has gotten back on track after a February swoon. They’ve won five straight since dropping 10 out of 14 games after starting the season 30-11-4.
No rest for the Wild as they have another big game Sunday at 5 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center against the Colorado Avalanche.
