Minnesota Wild News

Fleury picked up the rare relief win in the Wild's previous game after coming in to stop 13 of 14 shots (.929 SV%) in the first period vs. the Rangers and will take on the Islanders on Tuesday. The 38-year-old has had a disappointing start to his campaign, as he is 2-2-21 with a .892 SV% and 2.83 GAA. He will head to Long Island Tuesday to take on New York, who has struggled offensively placing 23rd in the NHL in goals per game (2.7) and 18th in shots per game (30.9).

Spurgeon skated in a non-contact jersey on Sunday and will travel with the team on their three-game road trip, but head coach Dean Evason was unsure when he'll be back in the lineup. Spurgeon's season debut is on the horizon, so monitor his status throughout the upcoming week.

Gustavsson allowed five goals on 38 shots (.868 SV%) for his second-straight loss as he was downed in his previous start vs. New Jersey but will take on the New York Rangers Saturday. The 25-year-old has struggled despite his sensational 2022-23 season, with his 2-3-1 record, .882 SV% and 4.48 GAA. He'll face the surging New York Rangers, who have won six straight contest but are without superstars Adam Fox (lower body), Filip Chytil (upper body) and Igor Shesterkin (lower body).

With Carter Hart suffering a mid-body injury in Wednesday's game, Petersen earns the call-up where he'll likely split the Flyers' Friday/Saturday back-to-back with Samuel Ersson. Petersen, who was acquired from the Kings in the offseason, has got 1-3-0 with a 3.76 GAA and .884 SV% in four AHL games this season.

Gustavsson will return to the crease on Thursday after serving as the Wild backup in their last two games. After a sensational 41-save shutout in his season debut, Gustavsson has struggled immensely with a 5.45 GAA and .853 SV% in four games (1-2-1). Gustavsson was one of the league's top goaltenders last season and still has plenty of time to turn things around but Thursday night's matchup against the high-octane New Jersey Devils doesn't inspire much confidence. The Wild are only slight -103 home underdogs but are facing a Devils team that is averaging 4.6 goals per game over their last five contests (4-1-0).

After being injured in the second game of the season and being forced to miss the subsequent seven contests, Boldy will make his much-anticipated return to the Wild lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. The Wild have struggled immensely in his absence, winning only twice (2-3-2). Boldy has two points (1G / 1A) in two games this season and will be a fixture in the top-six and top powerplay unit for the Wild going forward.

Spurgeon has not played yet this season due to an upper-body injury so his presence at practice was a welcome sight for a Wild team that currently ranks worst in the league defensively (4.11 GA / GP). Last season, Surgeron averaged 21:49 time-on-ice while tallying 34 points (11G / 23A) and a +32 plus/minus rating in 79 games.

Fleury will make his second consecutive and fourth start of the season on Sunday against the Devils. The 20-year veteran is coming off his best start of the young season. Fleury stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced in Friday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Capitals. He owns an .895 SV% and a 2.96 GAA along with a 1-1-1 record on the season. Fleury and the Wild draw a difficult assignment on Sunday with the Devils being sizable favourites at -170.

Fleury will return to the net on Friday for a Minnesota Wild team that has uncharacteristically been unable to keep the puck out of their net, regardless of who is in between the pipes. In two games this season (1-1-0), Fleury has a 3.55 GAA, which is slightly better than the Wild's league-worst 4.43 goals allowed per game. Fleury and the Wild will have a chance to get things back on track Friday as they visit a Washington Capitals team that is scoring an average of only 2.00 goals per game, second lowest in the league.

Gustavsson will return to the crease on Thursday for his third consecutive game as he looks for his third victory this season. After a heroic 41-save shutout to open the season, Gustavsson has registered a .861 SV% in his three games since (1-1-1). The Wild have had an uncharacteristic start to the season. The traditionally low-scoring, low-offence Wild, who are without Matt Boldy to boot, have the league's fourth-best offence (4.17 GF/GP) along with the third-worst defence (4.17 GA/GP). They will look to recalibrate as -111 road favourites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that has a 3-2-1 record.

Spurgeon has yet to appear in any of the Wilds' first six games this season due to an upper-body injury and has been placed on the long-term injured reserve Wednesday. The 33-year-old Wild Captain is a massive loss for Minnesota after he put up 11 goals, 34 points, and a +32 plus/minus in 79 games in 2022-23. There is still no expected timetable for his return but he was back on the ice for the first time since October 5th this week at practice.

After a remarkable 41-save shutout in his season-opening performance, Gustavsson has struggled to find his footing. In three games (1-1-1), Gustavsson has struggled to keep the puck out of his net, posting a 3.93 GAA and .906 SV%. He will look to return to form on Tuesday as the Wild host a McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers team. The Oilers have struggled to score this season, averaging only 2.60 goals per game, and will be hard-pressed to find offence tonight without their captain.

After an excellent performance in his first game of the season on Tuesday, in which he saved 27 of 29 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens, Fleury will find himself in the starter's crease for the second consecutive game. Dean Evanson and the Wild coaching staff clearly have faith in Fleury and, as such, the veteran netminder might see more action this season than initially anticipated. Filip Gustavsson will probably still see the heavier workload in net for Minnesota but it could be closer to a timeshare if Fleury continues to give his team a chance to win. Minnesota enters action on Thursday night as a slight -108 favourite against a Los Angeles Kings team that is coming off a dominant 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

After serving as backup to Filip Gustavsson for the first two games of the season, Fleury will make his first start of the 2023-24 campaign. Fleury is in the 18th year of his NHL career and is coming off a season where he recorded a 2.85 GAA and .908 SV% in 46 games (24-16-4). Fleury's Vezina-caliber years are behind him but the veteran still has what it takes to serve as a reliable backup behind Gustavsson on what should be a defensively sound Wild team.

Boldy was off to a strong start in his third NHL season, scoring two points (1G / 1A) in two games, before suffering an upper-body injury on Saturday. Boldy is listed as week-to-week and will be a huge loss to Minnesota's offensive capabilities. Last season, Boldy recorded career-highs in goals and assists, scoring 63 points (31G / 32A) in 81 games. Marco Rossi could be a candidate to see increased offensive deployment to try and offset the loss from Boldy's absence.