Marc-Andre Fleury is no stranger to Xcel Energy Center, but the goaltender has a new address on the ice: in the Wild's crease.
"I looked back once in the third and he was stretching, and I was like, 'This is pretty awesome,' " captain Jared Spurgeon said.
Fleury's transformation from rival to teammate was on display in a 3-2 overtime rally against the Blue Jackets on Saturday, a successful Wild debut in which the three-time Stanley Cup champion performed as advertised.
"Very calm and good with the puck and makes the plays and makes the big saves," Kevin Fiala said. "Just a great goalie."
After a clean first period with infrequent work, Fleury was busier in the second and that's when Columbus capitalized.
The first goal came amid a scramble in front with the puck ultimately bouncing in off Fleury's skate, and the second was a crisp shot by Jakub Voracek. That finish turned a one-goal hole into a one-goal lead for the Blue Jackets, a turnaround indicative of a lull in front of Fleury.
"Our second period sort of got away from what we were doing in the first period," Spurgeon said. "Just overextending shifts and then you get stuck out there, and we're not as aggressive as we usually are, which is what makes us good. We had to fix that."
While the team improved in the third, Fleury turned aside all three shots he faced in the period before making a clutch stop on Patrik Laine ahead of Spurgeon delivering his third career overtime goal less than a minute later.