Wild’s Marc-Andre Fleury gets hometown hero treatment — and a shutout — in Montreal

MONTREAL – Marc-Andre Fleury kept preparing for a puck, raising his glove and lifting his stick, but it was all in vain.

The Wild were blocking shots left and right, sweeping pressure away before it reached their crease. When the Canadiens finally had an opening, their wind-up crashed wide into the boards or they pulled themselves off-side.

So, Fleury folded himself back under the crossbar over and over again, looking very much like the kid on the playground waiting to get picked. Nobody would play ball, forcing the guest of honor to arrive late to his own celebration.

“That’s the most tired I’ve felt without having a shot,” Fleury said. “Just like the stress, the emotions, anticipation, it takes energy out of you.”

But in time, Fleury earned the salute the crowd of split loyalty gave him.

In what was likely the Quebec native’s last game at Bell Centre during the goaltender’s farewell season, Fleury shut out Montreal 4-0 in front of family and friends for an emotional sendoff that culminated with a handshake line from the Canadiens and curtain call as the game’s first star while a bouquet of flowers hit the ice.

“I was just hoping to not let in six,” Fleury said. “Little stressed, but so many people watching I wanted to put on a good show so they could remember me playing well.

“I’m happy it went well.”

Fleury’s 19 saves during his 572nd win included goals from rookie Liam Ohgren, Marco Rossi, Devin Shore and Frederick Gaudreau — the Wild showing no lack of focus after a 3-1 win at Toronto the previous night ahead of Fleury’s homecoming, which his wife, Veronique, their three children, Estelle, Scarlett and James, his mom, France, and sister Marylene attended.

“Guys would have blocked shots with their face if they had to honestly,” Gaudreau said. “That’s how everybody felt about this game.”

The Wild defended meticulously from the start, with Fleury not facing his first shot until six minutes elapsed, the save appropriately getting announced with a loud thud when Montreal’s Lane Hutson sent the puck into Fleury’s pad.

When they had the puck, the Wild got up ice with speed and support and their cohesiveness was rewarded 3:41 into the second period when a determined Ohgren scooped up his own rebound and wired the puck over goalie Jakub Dobes after Dobes had lost his stick during Ohgren’s earlier chance.

This was Ohgren’s first goal of the season in his seventh game with the Wild since the team promoted him from the minors after Marcus Johansson suffered a concussion vs. Edmonton.

“I’m happy with my game,” Ohgren said, “and just have to continue.”

Aside from giving Fleury a mostly quiet night — he had a mere eight stops after two periods — the stingy defending by the Wild also led to offense: After Jon Merrill was stung by a Josh Anderson shot, one of 19 blocks the Wild made, Marcus Foligno set up a wide-open Rossi for a blocker-side look at 5:47 of the second.

Then after his most Fleury-like save, Fleury stretching out windmill style in the third to deny Anderson after poke-checking him a period earlier, Shore won a 50-50 puck before draining his first goal with the Wild at 5:56.

Later during the Canadiens’ first and only power play, Fleury backed up the stop with a series of pad saves for his busiest sequence. The Wild also went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Gaudreau added an empty-netter with 1:27 to go, as the Wild tied for the fourth-fewest games to 20 road victories in NHL history. They’re 20-5-3, with two games left on this trip, and are on a three-game win streak.

Dobes, who was on a career-opening six-game point streak (5-0-1), had 23 saves in his first regulation loss.

But this matchup was more about longevity and legacy.

Fleury, who will retire after the season, is now just one appearance away from tying Roberto Luongo for second all-time in games (1,043), and after three more starts he’ll match Luongo for second in that category, too, at 1,014, looming milestones that’ll join the others: The 40-year-old is already the second-winningest goaltender in NHL history with the second-most time on ice and most shootout victories (66) during a Hall of Fame career that also includes three Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh and a Vezina Trophy with Vegas as the league’s top goalie after getting drafted first overall in 2003.

“As usual, I think the bigger the stage, the more emotional the stage, it seems like the better he gets,” coach John Hynes said.

Fleury’s first shutout of the season and 76th overall moved him into a tie for 10th with Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito; Luongo is ninth with 77. He became the first to post a shutout as a teenager and at 40 years or older and now has a shutout in all 21 of his seasons, a league record.

“This couldn’t have been a better au revoir to Montreal,” Foligno said.

Despite the dud from the Canadiens in front of 21,105, the fans were still cheering, giving Fleury a standing ovation and chanting his name late in the third period.

“Couple blurry eyes,” said Fleury, who improved to 11-5-1 on the season. “Geez, getting soft getting older. An honor.

“It was an honor to be part of it.”

Players from both teams also acknowledged Fleury, tapping their sticks, and the ensuing puck drop was delayed.

“We had chills,” Foligno said.

Gaudreau, who’s also from Quebec, watched from the bench.

“It took me a lot not to cry,” he said. “I love this guy. He’s been so much for me since he arrived. You just realize the legend that he is and his last game at home in front of all the people he loves and all the people that love him and all the fans that love him.

“It’s unbelievable.”

After the “Fleury” chants paused and as time was running out, Montreal pulled Dobes and Fleury thought about attempting an empty-netter.

As accomplished as he is, he still hasn’t scored a goal.

“But I was more focused on keeping it zero,” he said.

So were the Wild.

BOXSCORE: Wild 4, Canadiens 0

NHL standings

“You had 20-some guys stressed out because we have a shutout on the line, and we’re like, ‘This is great,’ ” Foligno said. “But we can’t let this go to waste here.”

They didn’t and after the final horn sounded, the “Fleury” chants resumed.

He finished 28-13-8 in his career vs. the Canadiens and 13-6-5 in Montreal.

“I don’t know what it’s like to be in that guy’s shoes,” Foligno said. “I wish sometimes I was, but I don’t know. It’s insane. You get a whole city, Quebec, country behind you, it’s amazing. You see people that aren’t even supposed to be cheering for you applauding you.

“I think if you can do that at the end of your career, that says something about who you are as a player and as a person.”