The Minnesota Wild will turn to Cam Talbot in goal for their must-win Game 6 Thursday night against the St. Blues.
Talbot has sat on the bench the entire series as Marc-Andre Fleury, the three-time Stanley Cup champ and future Hall of Famer, has commanded the Minnesota net.
All told, Fleury and the Wild are down 3 games to 2 in the best-of-seven series, with Fleury surrendering four goals in the critical Game 5 loss Tuesday night.
“We lost the game. We have to make some changes. And hopefully choose the right ones,” Wild coach Dean Evason said Wednesday.
According to Michael Russo, Evason didn’t announce Talbot as the starter for Game 6, but Wild forward Marcus Foligno confirmed it and Talbot presented as the starting goalie during the morning skate.
“We trust both our goaltenders. We’ve seen enough of Marc-Andre Fleury to know, or watched him forever, to know that he’s a guy that responds correctly,” Evason said Wednesday. “We also know that Cam Talbot is the ultimate professional. Works his butt off whether he’s playing or not playing and would be ready to go tomorrow night as well.”
Evason went with Fleury over Talbot the first five games despite Talbot going 13-0-3 in his final 16 starts of the regular season, riding the longest points streak by a goalie in franchise history.
Talbot started all three games for the Wild against the Blues during the regular season, all losses. He allowed 16 goals and made 77 saves, though it’s worth noting that six of the goals were allowed in the freezing outdoor New Year’s Day Winter Classic at Target Field.
Game 6 starts at 8:30 p.m. and will be televised on TNT, SportsNet and Bally Sports North. If Minnesota forces a Game 7, it will be played Saturday in St. Paul at a time to be determined.
