Former Wild forward Nino Niederreiter scored two goals as the Jets defeated the Wild 4-2 in Winnipeg on Saturday. It ended the Wild's four-game winning streak. The two teams will play again in St. Paul on Sunday afternoon.
Kaprizov was injured while returning to Winnipeg
Kaprizov's first return to Winnipeg since his injury in March was tough. It was here that Kaprizov suffered a lower-body injury on March 8 when Logan Stanley fell on him, forcing the Wild star to miss a month. Kaprizov was injured again on Saturday and left the game in the third period after taking a couple of nasty, unpunished crosschecks to the lower back from Dillon, the Jets' hard-nosed defenseman. It appeared to be retaliation after Kaprizov knocked Dillon down with a reverse hit. To Jake Middleton's credit, he battled Dillon later in the quarter, taking on the strong defender in defense of Kaprizov.
Fleury's 1000th comes next Sunday
Fleury replaced Gustavsson at the start of the third period on Saturday, meaning Sunday's start against the Jets would be his 1,000th. will be the game of his career. Fleury will become the fourth goaltender in NHL history to reach this milestone, joining Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Roberto Luongo.
Gustavsson allowed three goals on 22 shots before leaving the game. Wild coach John Hynes was unable to update Gustavsson's situation after the game, but Fleury said he was mentally preparing in the second period when Gustavsson came to the bench and informed the coaches of an issue. If Gustavsson is ever sidelined, the Wild can expect to call up Zane McIntyre from AHL Iowa (leading prospect Jesper Wallstedt is still dealing with a lower-body injury).
Gustavsson's injury comes at a bad time. Before Saturday's game, he was 8-2 with a .932 SV% and a 1.87 GAA under Hynes. The Wild had the second-best save percentage in the NHL during that time, behind Winnipeg.
The captain is back
The Wild Blue Line is getting healthier with Spurgeon returning to the lineup after a seven-game absence. Hynes decided to keep the Brock Faber-Middleton pairing together since they were playing so well, and Spurgeon chose Alex Goligoski instead. Spurgeon got off to a rough start, as the Jets' first goal (an Alex Iafallo shot), which went wide, bounced off the captain's skate. Spurgeon was not limited and was immediately returned to his regular roles, both on the penalty kill and as a top power play unit.
Wild boasted of rare board combat problems
One of the Wild's strengths during their recent run under Hynes has been their consistency in winning battles, particularly on the boards. But the team was very lacking in this area on Saturday. A case in point was the Jets' second goal. The Winnipeg third line worked, defenseman Jon Merrill lost the puck on the wall and three Wild players fell on Adam Lowry, leaving Niederreiter all alone. It was one of two goals for Niederreiter, the former Wild forward who former GM Paul Fenton traded to Carolina for Victor Rask. Minnesota was also too soft on the wall for the Jets' fourth goal.
Three stars
1. Nino Niederreiter, Jets – The former Wild forward scored two goals and nearly had a hat trick in the third period.
2. Connor Hellebuyck, Jets – Hellebuyck was great, especially in the third period as the Wild tried to mount a comeback. He made 34 saves.
3. Josh Morrissey, Jets – The workhorse defenseman had one assist, was a plus-2 and logged 22:57 of ice time.
Quotes about the game
“We were slow to get into our game,” said Matt Boldy, who scored his 10th goal in 15 games under Hynes.
“We fought back at times, but we weren't at our best tonight and I think we have to be at our best tomorrow,” Hynes said.
“I think we can all agree it wasn't our best night,” said Fleury, who stopped nine of 10 shots in the third period.
As he celebrates his expected 1,000th career game, Fleury said he's looking forward to it.
“It’s pretty cool to get there. But it would be nice if we were done with it,” Fleury said.
(Photo: Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)