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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Marc-Andre Fleury took sole possession of second place with his 552nd win in the NHL, posting his 74th career shutout as the Minnesota Wild defeated the New York Islanders 5-0 on Monday.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice on special teams, Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist, and Connor Dewar and Marcus Foligno also scored for the Wild, who’d gone 1-7-1 in their previous nine games and enjoyed a much-needed celebration of the 39-year-old Fleury passing Patrick Roy on the all-time list.

“I’m glad it’s over; we can stop talking about it,” Fleury said in his on-ice interview after the game. “It’s about time we got one, but it’s an honor to be here in Minnesota, to be in front of the fans. They’ve been great, and so, that’s awesome.”

Fleury stopped 21 shots in his first shutout of the season, after authoring a 1-4-1 stretch in his six previous starts.

“The way he played tonight, we had a few breakdowns, and you needed key saves at key times,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “And we got them from him.”

The crowd chanted Fleury’s name after a difficult power-play save in the second period, when the Wild outshot the sloppy and sluggish Islanders by a whopping 21-3.

“If you looked at how the team rushed out after the game to congratulate him, it shows what type of teammate he is and what he means to the NHL and every organization he’s played for,” Hynes said. “He’s a special guy and a special player.”

The serenade for the popular French-Canadian player nicknamed “Flower” arose again in the closing minutes, and the entire Wild team mobbed him in the crease for postgame hugs.

Two of Fleury’s three children — the other was recovering from tonsil surgery — greeted him at his stall in the Wild locker room after the win. The team quickly announced a celebration night for Fleury on Feb. 9 when the Wild host the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team he won his three Stanley Cup titles with over 13 seasons.

He played in another Cup Final with the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights, moved on to the Chicago Blackhawks and then arrived in Minnesota in a midseason trade two years ago for what has widely been assumed to be the final stop of his decorated career. Fleury, who also has 92 wins and 16 shutouts in 169 playoff games, has not revealed whether he’d like to play next season after his contract expires this summer.

“He’s probably the best guy I’ve ever played with there on the team,” Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin said. “He cares about the team, and he’s such a good guy. I’m so happy for him.”

Ilya Sorokin made 30 saves in two periods for the Islanders, setting a career high by starting an 11th consecutive game. He is the only goalie in the league who has faced more than 1,000 shots to date, with an average of more than 34 allowed by the Islanders in his appearances this season.

Kenneth Appleby took over in net after the second intermission, with the Islanders trailing 3-0 and facing another game the following night. Semyon Varlamov has been sidelined for six games and counting by a lower-body injury. Appleby made his first NHL appearance in nearly six years, when he was with the New Jersey Devils. He let in a short-handed goal by Eriksson Ek, then Foligno’s flip-in in the final minute.

The Islanders took six penalties, and Zuccarello and Eriksson Ek scored on the power play. The Islanders have lost four of their past five contests and also have dropped six consecutive games to the Wild.

The Wild were booed by their home fans two days prior during a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes that triggered a players-only meeting, and Minnesota responded quite well.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin said before Monday’s game he isn’t ready to give up on the playoffs and shed salary, despite the club sitting well below the cut in 13th place in the Western Conference.

Brodin returned from a 17-game absence due to an upper-body injury he sustained on Dec. 8, bringing the Wild as close to full strength as they’ve been in nearly three weeks.

Zuccarello scored on a power-play slap shot from behind the left circle just 2:21 into the game; it was his first goal in 20 games after missing nine because of an injury. Dewar ended a 17-game goal drought. Eriksson Ek had gone 10 straight games without scoring.

The Wild are 14-2-4 when scoring first. Their most recent regulation win was on Dec. 27 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Hall of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur, who won three Stanley Cup titles with the Devils, holds the all-time record in front of Fleury with 691 wins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Canes’ Andersen, 35, secures deal before Round 2

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Canes' Andersen, 35, secures deal before Round 2

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes have signed goaltender Frederik Andersen to a one-year contract for next season, worth $2.75 million for the 35-year-old veteran.

General manager Eric Tulsky announced the deal Saturday, a little over 48 hours before his team starts the second round of the playoffs against the Washington Capitals.

Andersen could earn up to $750,000 in incentives for games played and his participation in a potential run to the Eastern Conference finals next season. He would get $250,000 for playing 35 or more games, another $250,000 for getting to 40 and $250,000 if the Hurricanes reach the East finals and he plays in at least half of the playoff games.

“Frederik has played extremely well for us and ranks in the top 10 all-time for winning percentage by an NHL goalie,” Tulsky said. “We’re excited that he will be staying with the team for next season.”

Andersen and the Hurricanes, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, advanced past the New Jersey Devils in Round 1 last week. They will meet the Capitals, who won the division crown, for the right to make the NHL’s final four.

Extending Andersen could give the team a goaltending tandem with Pyotr Kochetkov for less than $6 million combined.

Anderson, a Denmark native who previously played for the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs, has become coach Rod Brind’Amour’s most trusted option in net. He is expected to return to the starting role for Game 1 of the Capitals series after getting injured in the first round against New Jersey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

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Sovereignty outduels Journalism to capture Derby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop on Saturday.

Trainer Bill Mott won his first Derby in 2019, also run on a sloppy track, when Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security crossed the finish line first and was disqualified after a 22-minute delay.

This time, he knew right away.

Sovereignty won by 1½ lengths and snapped an 0-for-13 Derby skid for owner Godolphin, the racing stable of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

It was quite a weekend for the sheikh. His filly, Good Cheer, won the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and earlier Saturday, Ruling Court won the 2,000 Guineas in Britain.

Sovereignty covered 1¼ miles in 2:02.31 and paid $17.96 to win at 7-1 odds.

Journalism found trouble in the first turn and jockey Umberto Rispoli moved him to the outside. He and Sovereignty hooked up at the eighth pole before Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado pulled away.

Baeza was third, Final Gambit was fourth and Owen Almighty finished fifth.

Rain made for a soggy day, with the Churchill Downs dirt strip listed as sloppy and horse racing fans protecting their fancy hats and clothing with clear plastic ponchos.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

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Zilisch to miss Xfinity race in Texas after wreck

FORT WORTH, Texas — Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver already with two NASCAR Xfinity Series race wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas because of lower back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck at Talladega.

Trackhouse Racing said Wednesday that its development driver will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. The team didn’t provide any additional details about Zilisch’s injuries.

Cup Series regular Kyle Larson will drive the No. 88 in Texas. After that, the Xfinity Series has a two-week break before racing again May 24 at Charlotte.

Zilisch, sixth in points through the first 11 races, was driving for the win at Talladega Superspeedway when contact on the backstretch sent his car spinning, and head-on into inside wall.

Zilisch won in his Xfinity debut at Watkins Glen last Sept. 14. He added another win this year at Austin, the same weekend that he made his Cup Series debut. He has six top-10 finishes in his 15 Xfinity races.

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