Minnesota Wild vs. Ducks Recap (W)

🏆 Final Score🏆
Minnesota Wild 3 – Ducks 2 (OT)

💬 Water Cooler One-Liner:

Marc-Andre Fleury writes the perfect final chapter—Wild clinch in OT, and Flower walks off with one last win.


📊 Quick Hits – Game at a Glance:

• Winner: Matt Boldy (OT snipe, 17.9 seconds left)

• Turning Point: Eriksson Ek’s rebound goal with 22 seconds left in regulation to tie it

• Standout Stat: Wild outshot the Ducks 40–29

• Goaltending Anchor: Fleury comes in cold, stops 5 in OT to seal it

🔑 3 Key Takeaways:

1️⃣ Fleury’s Final Regular-Season Moment: Inserted in OT, the future Hall-of-Famer delivered with 5 flawless saves and a victory for the ages.

2️⃣ Last-Minute Magic: Down 2-1, Eriksson Ek tied it with seconds left, sending the Wild (and the crowd) into chaos.

3️⃣ Bold Finish: Matt Boldy capped off the night with the dagger in OT, delivering the Wild’s playoff ticket in style.

⭐ Three Stars of the Game:

1. ⭐ M. Fleury (MIN • Goalie): 5 saves in OT, perfect sendoff

📊 By The Numbers:
• Shots on Goal: Wild 40 – Ducks 29
• Power Play: Wild 0% (0/2) – Ducks 0% (0/1)
• Penalty Minutes: Wild 2 – Ducks 4
• Faceoffs: Wild 50% – Ducks 50%
• Hits: Wild 22 – Ducks 17
• Blocked Shots: Wild 16 – Ducks 14
• Giveaways: Wild 17 – Ducks 13
• Takeaways: Wild 1 – Ducks 5

📰 Around the Team:

• Fleury’s Final Regular-Season Game: Called into OT by Gustavsson himself, Flower delivered a poetic ending to a 21-year career.

• Buium Watch: The highly anticipated debut of Zeev Buium was put on pause, but he remains on standby for the playoffs.

• Back at Full Strength: Middleton and Spurgeon both returned, marking the first time since early November the Wild had their full lineup healthy.

🎯 Stat Spotlight:

• Fleury’s Finale: 575th regular-season win and NHL-record 71st OT win

• Clutch Ek: Scored with 22 seconds left, his 14th of the year

• Boldy in OT: Continues to show up when it matters, sealing the win under pressure

🔍 What This Win Means:

✅ Playoff Bound – The Wild clinch the first wild-card spot and will face Vegas in Round 1

✅ Flower’s Farewell – A storybook moment for Fleury and a morale boost heading into playoffs

✅ Momentum Swing – Back-to-back comebacks and an OT finish have the Wild heating up at just the right time

🔥 Next Up:
• Opponent: Vegas
• Date/Time: TBD

Game Notes: The Wild didn’t just sneak into the playoffs — they clawed their way in with heart, grit, and Flower power. Next stop: Vegas. Let the redemption tour begin.

📬 Final Whistle:
Thank you to everyone for tuning into Wild Hockey Insider. 162 issues later, this year has been a success and I want to thank everyone for your continued support! Here’s to YOU! 🍻 - Michael Scott