The headlines on Monday afternoon belonged to Marc-Andre Fleury, but with the Minnesota Wild’s big trade acquisition watching, Cam Talbot stepped up to earn a 3-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Earlier in the day, the Wild made a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to acquire Fleury for a conditional draft pick. While Fleury didn’t make his debut, the three-time cup winner created a buzz prior to the opening faceoff.
❄️ Flurries 🤝 Fleury 🌸
Minnesota pic.twitter.com/52otolFv9Y
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 21, 2022
Less than 24 hours after starting for the #blackhawks, here comes the #mnwild’s new 🌸 pic.twitter.com/KMmr77Ewbn
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 21, 2022
While Fleury observed his new team, it was another trade acquisition that made an immediate impact for Minnesota. During his first shift in a Wild sweater, Nicolas Deslauriers fired a wrister past Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson to give Minnesota an early lead.
NEW THREADS, NEW GOALS #mnwild pic.twitter.com/qw4AOgF9UN
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 22, 2022
The Wild appeared to go ahead 2-0 on a goal from Kevin Fiala but the marker was waved off due to penalties against Matt Dumba and Jonathan Marchessault.
The one-goal advantage was more than enough for Talbot, however, who kept the Golden Knights off the board in a scoreless second period.
CAM TALB🛑T LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/qBmeeoQDsX
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 22, 2022
With Talbot stopping all 28 shots on the night, the Wild doubled their lead in the third period when Matt Dumba used a screen from Marcus Foligno to score his sixth goal of the season.
DUMBA HITS THE JACKPOT 🎰 #mnwild pic.twitter.com/LbcmM1LHTn
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 22, 2022
An empty-net goal by Ryan Hartman sealed the win for the Wild, who increased their lead over the Golden Knights to six points in the Western Conference standings.
The Wild (37-20-4) will look to keep rolling when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
