Hartman: Wild 'haven't really helped' Fleury's chase of No. 2 on wins list

Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a hair's breadth away from tying Patrick Roy for the second-most wins by a netminder in NHL history, but veteran Ryan Hartman doesn't think he and his teammates are doing their part to help him climb the ladder.

"We got a guy that's six games away from going to No. 2, and we're laying eggs for him," Hartman said, according to the Star Tribune's Sarah McLellan. "That's enough motivation to bring it every night.

"He's gonna get it, and I know he doesn't think about it. But I do, and I know some guys do. We want to be here and see it and do it for him and help him out, and we haven't really helped him out."

Here's the all-time list as it stands now:

Fleury started the 2023-24 campaign just seven wins behind Roy and drew even closer with a victory in his first start of the year against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 17, but he hasn't picked up a win through three starts since then.

Hartman's comments follow a winless three-game road trip. Fleury started the last two contests, a 3-2 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals and a 4-3 defeat to the New Jersey Devils. The future Hall of Famer now has an .888 save percentage and 3.25 goals-against average on the campaign.

Both Fleury and No. 1 netminder Filip Gustavsson have endured a tough start to the season. The Wild have allowed the most goals against per game (4.11) and the sixth-most shots against per contest (34.3) at all strengths while owning the league's fifth-worst save percentage (.897) at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

Minnesota has been forced to contend with injuries to key players, including forward Matt Boldy, who has been sidelined since Oct. 14, and captain Jared Spurgeon, who has yet to make his season debut.

Fleury isn't using those absences to write off his team's middling 3-4-2 start to the season, though.

"We can't use it as an excuse," he told reporters after Sunday's loss in New Jersey. "I think we're a good enough team that we can find ways to win games."

This could be Fleury's last year in the NHL. Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, the beloved goaltender said he'd make a decision on his playing career at the end of the season.

"I don't want to think about it too much every game, you know, (like), 'Oh, it's going good, I'll play again' or 'Oh, it's going bad, I don't want to play anymore,'" he said in September. "There'll be ups and downs this season. I just want to get through it and then make a decision at the end."

Next up for the Wild is a rematch against the Devils on Thursday.