I was minding my own business last night writing up a piece on how we've got three new Baby Penguins to welcome into the world when I hear, "Marc-Andre Fleury is now in net for the Minnesota Wild."
Jaw to the floor. Heart rate skyrocketing. Immediately locked in on the game.
History for the future Hall of Famer. Oddly enough my dad walked through earlier in the game and asked if Fleury had played at all in the series, to which I responded no.
I honestly didn't think we would see Flower in these playoffs, but with Filip Gustavsson coming down with an illness in the second intermission, MAF got the call in a pivotal Game 5 with the Wild down 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Fleury only faced three shots in the 3rd period, but you'd be dead wrong to claim he was uninvolved.
Fleury Chants
What makes this development even more hilarious is the fact that Golden Knights fans can't help but be excited about it. Of course, Fleury led them to a Stanley Cup appearance in their first year of existence in 2018 and won a Vezina with them in 2020-21.
While he just missed their window for their 2023 Stanley Cup Championship, Vegas fans love MAF (who doesn't?). They responded in kind.
The Wild Third Period
Mere moments after Marc-Andre Fleury emerged between the pipes, Matt Boldy tied the game 2-2.
Then, in the waning moments of regulation, Ryan Hartman was thought to have given Minnesota the win with a goal in the final 90 seconds of the game. However, a kicking motion was alleged and the referees went to take a look.
After a quick review, it was deemed that the puck was not kicked into the net and that it was a good goal.
However...
Vegas decided to challenge the play for being offside. Sure enough, the play was indeed offside, and Fleury's surefire win was stripped from him. The game would head to overtime.
Overtime
Unfortunately, God has abandoned us and we can have nothing pure or holy in this world. The Golden Knights got one behind Flower just a few minutes into overtime to take home Game 5 and give them a 3-2 series lead with Fleury's career now on thin ice.
Friends, this might be the final time we see Flower suited up on the ice. It was well past midnight on the east coast for me, but I had no choice but to watch. These are the moments - as sad as this one turned out to be - that you'll be glad you enjoyed in the moment.
Here's hoping that the Wild can find a way to win Game 6 at home. Perhaps if Gustavsson is still dealing with his illness we'll get a full 60 minutes of Fleury...and hopefully a win.
If this is the end, Penguins fans everywhere have been watching, and we're so proud of you, Flower.