In a 2-1 game after the second period in Game 5, Marc-Andre Fleury led the Wild on the ice for the third period.
Starting goaltender Filip Gustavsson played the first two periods but was sick. So, Fleury had to replace him for the third period and played the rest of the game.
Fleury, 40, has now seen action in 18 total playoffs in his career. This has now moved him past Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy (17 playoffs) for the most total Stanley Cup Playoff years by a goalie in NHL history.
"He's a Hall of Famer for a reason," Wild head coach John Hynes said on Fleury coming in cold. "I think he was prepared to be able to go in and he did a great job for us."
After the Fleury came in, the Wild protected him by not a single shot until the 13:43 mark and only three in the third period alone. Vegas forward Brett Howden was able to beat Fleury in overtime to end the game after a defensive zone collapse by the fourth line and third d-pair.
Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' Minnesota Wild page for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more.
Wild Related News
Wild Sticking With Gustav Nyquist, Freddy Gaudreau Despite ProductionGeneral box scores can be tricky when it comes to evaluating a player's performance. Stats like goals, assists and shots can tell a story whether or not a guy is producing. Whereas, plus-minus, block shots and hits are general box score stats that point to a guy being good defensively or not.
Wild Backup Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury Returns To The Net Against Golden Knights, Loses In OvertimeLAS VEGAS -- Minnesota backup goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury returned the ice at T-Mobile Arena to oppose the Golden Knights, as Wild starting goalie Filip Gustavsson didn't return to the game due to illness, per the team.