Marc-Andre Fleury helps Wild shut down Sharks

Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves for the visiting Minnesota Wild in a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.

Mats Zuccarello had a goal and two assists, Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist and Marco Rossi also scored for the Wild, who have won five of six.

William Eklund scored and Yaroslav Askarov made 19 saves for the Sharks, who have dropped three in a row and 11 of 13.

Askarov, 22, was born a year before the 40-year-old Fleury was picked No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead at 5:51 of the first period.

Zuccarello raced through the neutral zone with the puck before pulling up just inside the San Jose blue line and feathering a pass ahead to Rossi, who had a step on Eklund. Rossi flipped a backhand high in the net as he neared the crease for his 16th goal of the season.

Fleury blanked the Sharks on 16 saves in the first period.

The Wild extended the lead to 2-0 at 4:34 of the second.

Minnesota broke up a stretch pass in the neutral zone and Zuccarello centered the puck from off the wall to Boldy, who received the puck just above the San Jose blue line with room to skate to the top of the right circle and scored with a wrist shot into the far side of the net.

Fleury stopped the first 28 shots before San Jose scored at 17:30 of the second period to cut it to 2-1.

Eklund gave the puck up to Macklin Celebrini on his right as he entered the Minnesota zone with speed. Celebrini took a wrist shot from the circle that was saved by Fleury with his right pad, but the rebound came to Eklund and he lifted the puck into the net for his ninth goal of the season.

Zuccarello scored into the empty net just as Askarov was leaving for the bench for the extra attacker to extend the lead to 3-1 with 1:17 left.

–Field Level Media