Rossi scores in OT to lift Wild past Blue Jackets 4-3; Fleury gets win No. 551
Minnesota Wild's Marco Rossi, left, keeps the puck away from Columbus Blue Jackets' Jake Bean during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: AP/Jay LaPrete
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Marco Rossi scored 3:05 into overtime and the Minnesota Wild rallied from three one-goal deficits to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Saturday night, giving Marc-Andre Fleury his 551st career win.
Fleury, who stopped 25 shots including one that would have sealed a Blue Jackets win late in the third period, is tied with Patrick Roy for second all-time among NHL goalies. Matt Boldy had two power-play goals, Marcus Johansson also scored, and Brock Faber had two assists.
“I was just happy to win tonight,” Fleury said. “It hasn’t been working out. We’ve been missing a few guys. We obviously need points in the standings.
“Catching Patrick is an honor, a guy I look up to growing up. In the moment I was happy to get the win here for the boys.”
Cole Sillinger had three goals for his second career hat trick and Daniil Tarasov stopped 33 shots for Columbus, which has lost three of four — including two straight at home.
“No. 1 for the team, you’ve got to find a way to win,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It was obviously important for us and on top of it Flower went for tying the record, right? I’m very happy for him.”
Sillinger put Columbus up 1-0 at 8:09 of the first period, tapping in Jake Bean’s tape-to-tape pass from the left circle. Adam Boqvist earned the secondary assist after missing 13 games with a shoulder strain suffered against Los Angeles on Dec. 5.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Jack Roslovic, left, carries the puck up ice past Minnesota Wild's Mats Zuccarello during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: AP/Jay LaPrete
Boldy’s shot from the blue line, 5 seconds into a Wild power play, pulled the Wild even with 5:13 remaining in the period.
Columbus regained the lead with Sillinger’s second of the night, 17 seconds into the second period, off a slick backhand drop pass from Kirill Marchenko.
Boldy’s second power-play goal at 10:15 of the second pulled the Wild even again, marking his second-career game with multiple goals with a man advantage. Faber’s secondary assist of the game marked his fourth multi-point game of the season and moved him into a tie for second among NHL rookies with 16.
Columbus had taken just one shot in the third period until Sillinger tipped Boqvist’s wrister from the blue line with 5:45 left for his third of the night and seventh of the season.
Minnesota Wild's Marcus Johansson, center, scores a goal against Columbus Blue Jackets' Daniil Tarasov, right, as Ivan Provorov defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: AP/Jay LaPrete
Fleury was heading off for the extra skater but responded to a Columbus surge down the ice and made a diving stop with less than two minutes left to block a likely Blue Jackets insurance goal. Johansson then slipped the puck past Tarasov with 1:32 remaining to tie the score again.
“Open net, turnover, the first thing you know the puck is in the back of your net,” Blue Jackets coach Pascale Vincent said. “They played a good game. They really did. That’s a good team, heavy sticks. Their power play is lethal. It was a big point for us.”
UP NEXT
Wild: Host Dallas on Monday night.
Blue Jackets: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
