Wild win in shootout as Marc-Andre Fleury puts final touch on latest clash with Alex Ovechkin

WASHINGTON – Marc-Andre Fleury figures Alex Ovechkin probably owes him for helping Ovechkin close in on Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record.

After all, no goaltender has been scored on more by the Russian superstar than Fleury, who has gone head-to-head against Ovechkin a whopping 66 times in the regular season and playoffs.

"It's 20 years we play against each other," Ovechkin reflected. "It's always fun. It's always a challenge. He's one of the best goalies out there, and it's a huge challenge for me to play against him."

In what could have been the longtime competitors' final meeting, Ovechkin tallied his 28th goal vs. Fleury to move along his historic pursuit, but Fleury held up his end of the rivalry: He denied Ovechkin in the shootout to finalize a 4-3 rally for the Wild on Thursday at Capital One Arena in the latest gritty game from the beleaguered lineup.

"He got a goal in the game already," Fleury said, "so that was enough."

After Fleury snuffed out Washington's first two shootout chances and Matt Boldy capitalized during his turn, Fleury intercepted Ovechkin's shot with his glove to polish off the Wild's comeback — this after Fleury was cramping after the Capitals' second attempt.

"Then he pops back out and makes the save," Wild coach John Hynes said. "Vintage Flower there."

This is also becoming quintessential for the Wild.

They have won four of their past five games despite playing most of that stretch without Kirill Kaprizov as he tries to heal a lingering lower-body injury.

"We have to," Fleury said of why the Wild keep prevailing.

Now, captain Jared Spurgeon is out two to three weeks after getting slew-footed into the boards by the Predators' Zachary L'Heureux on Tuesday. The Wild relied on a patchwork defense in front of Fleury with Jake Middleton also hurt, but the team didn't waver against a top-three team in the Capitals.

"It was about our competitive nature," Hynes said. "It was about being disciplined with our system, being disciplined with the puck and not leaving ourselves in vulnerable positions and making sure we played a consistent game.

"I thought the guys did a really good job of that in probably a game that you could have got out of it, but we didn't."

They settled in after Tom Wilson put back his own rebound 10 minutes, 19 seconds into the first period.

Only 1:05 later and on the very next shift, Ryan Hartman deflected in a Zach Bogosian shot for his first goal since Nov. 19, ending a 20-game drought. Hartman's assist in the 5-3 victory over Nashville was his first point in 19 games.

Then the Wild capitalized with 53 seconds left in the first on a Capitals power play when Yakov Trenin won the puck from former Lakeville North and St. Cloud State goalie Charlie Lindgren behind the net and lifted in a backhander for Trenin's second shorthanded goal, which ties his career high.

"I saw he lost the stick, and puck was right there," Trenin said, "and I couldn't believe it."

But the Washington power play wasn't idle all night.

On its next try, a lengthy, four-minute look caused by a Marat Khusnutdinov high stick, Ovechkin traded his patented one-timer from the left side for a snapshot inside the point at 15:08 of the second period that elicited a boisterous celebration from Ovechkin and an "Ovi" chant from the crowd.

"I don't like getting scored on by him, but I love the battle over the years," said Fleury, who was well aware of Ovechkin's track record against him. "I think with Pittsburgh, especially, we've had so many big games here and we saw him in the playoffs quite a few times, too.

"When you play against the best player in the world, it's always a good challenge and brings the best out of you."

Fleury has the edge in their all-time matchup, going 28-14-3, and those 28 wins are tied for his most against one skater.

"You see them smiling back and forth," Wilson said. "Game respects game. It's fun to see two all-time legends going at it."

BOXSCORE: Wild 4, Washington 3 (SO)

At 871 goals, Ovechkin is 24 shy of passing Gretzky. This was the third time he has scored in four games back after missing 16 because of a fractured fibula. But despite that injury, he could still break Gretzky's record this season — perhaps around the time these teams square off at Xcel Energy Center on March 27.

Overall, the Capitals finished 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Wild were 0-for-2.

"I told him, 'I need one more,' " Ovechkin said. "He said, 'You already get one.' "

Washington had the next goal, too, 5:34 into the third period with Martin Fehervary wiring a wrist shot between Fleury's pads as Fleury was sprawled on his side after getting tied up with teammate Travis Dermott and falling in the crease.

Then after a Wilson tip was disallowed for deflecting the puck into the Wild net with a high stick, Marco Rossi got a piece of a Hartman throw at Lindgren (30 saves) and buried the equalizer at 11:19. His three tying goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation are the most in the NHL.

"I just try to stay on my toes and just get ready," Rossi said.

After Boldy hit the post in 3-on-3 overtime but made up for the miss in the shootout to improve to 2-for-4 on the season — "I was waiting for [Lindgren] to bite, and he didn't move much so just kind of let it go." — the two future Hall of Famers reunited for a fitting finale that was also noteworthy for Fleury; he snagged his 66th shootout victory, tops in league history.

"I feel like he's done it all," Fleury said. "Sometimes five-hole shot, dig back and deke forehand, so I was just trying to — I don't know — fool with him a bit early and try to stay patient, and it worked out."