USA TODAY Sports

Wild Will Not Start Marc-Andre Fleury Against Penguins

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Penguins on SI
By Nick Horwat | Last updated Dec 18, 2023 12:54 PM ET

When the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Minnesota Wild, future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will not be between the pipes.

In what could be Fleury’s last game in Pittsburgh, Wild head coach John Hynes has decided to start Filip Gustavsson against the Penguins.

According to Hynes, starting Gustavsson against the Penguins and Fleury against the Boston Bruins on the second half of a back-to-back is ‘part of the plan.’

In what could be Marc-Andre Fleury's last game in Pittsburgh, head coach John Hynes said Filip Gustavsson will be the starting goaltender.

Hynes said the decision was "part of the plan" pic.twitter.com/7LLxM4USDw
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 18, 2023

It’s been all but expected over the last few days that Fleury would start in Pittsburgh, considering his history with the team and this likely being his last season in the NHL.

Fleury laid the foundation of his Hall of Fame career backstopping the Penguins to 375 wins and being a huge part of three Stanley Cup championships.

Ever since leaving Pittsburgh, Fleury hasn’t performed particularly well in his returns, but he’s still a very capable goalie.

Fleury is just four games away from playing in 1,000 in his career, a number that Sidney Crosby said is ‘unheard of’ for goalies.

He’s also just three wins back of tying Patrick Roy for the second most wins in NHL history.

Crosby said recently that he doesn’t want to make lineup decisions for other teams, but was looking forward to one last contest against a former long-time teammate and friend.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Penguins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: