Wild vs. Blue Jackets: ‘Flower’ springs up in net for Minnesota debut
By Tim Johnson
38-20-4. 98. 32-29-4. 113. Bally Sports North . 7 p.m. . Saturday, March 26. Wild -1.5
The Minnesota Wild moved back into second place in the Central Division with an overtime win against Vancouver on Thursday and look to maintain that position now.
Marc-Andre Fleury, the Wild’s trade deadline-day acquisition, will make his much-anticipated inaugural start in net as Minnesota continues its nine-game homestand against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Fleury has posted a 19-21-5 mark, a 2.95 goals against average and a .908 save percentage this season. He stopped 26 shots to help Chicago to a win in his previous start against Columbus on Jan. 11. He has a 11-7-2 mark with a .919 SV% in his career against the Blue Jackets.
Making the most out of opportunities and keeping our composure.
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 25, 2022
Full comments from coach » https://t.co/55YIaRhrnJ pic.twitter.com/RMqYY6jRFP
The Wild, behind goalie Cam Talbot, has allowed five goals in their four-game winning streak. Minnesota also is 4-1 in its current homestand and 6-1-1 overall over its past eight matchups. The Blue Jackets beat Minnesota 3-2 in a shootout on March 11.
Fleury’s debut comes as Cam Talbot has been a force again in the Minnesota net. He has won his last seven starts and has a 2.15 GAA and a .918 SV% over that stretch.
Fleury is one of the few changes Minnesota is making to its lineup on Saturday.
Dmitry Kulikov in. Jon Merrill out. #MNWild will continue that rotation on the backend.
— Dane Mizutani (@DaneMizutani) March 26, 2022
It is the first ofback-to-back games for the Wild this weekend. Minnesota hosts Central-Division leading Colorado on Sunday. Colorado entered Saturday with a NHL-best 97 points and is 17 points head of the Wild in the standings.
Minnesota has earned points in 12 of its last 18 meetings against Columbus and is 4-1-2 in the last seven games.
Betting odds
WynnBET has Minnesota favored by 1.5 goals in the second matchup between the teams this season. Minnesota also is the favorite on the moneyline at -270. Columbus is the underdog at +230 and the over/under for the matchup is listed at 6.5 total goals.
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Upcoming Wild schedule
Sunday, March 27: Colorado, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 29: Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Thuirsday, March 31, Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.