Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury tied Patrick Roy for second on the NHL's all-time wins list with Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fleury made 25 saves on 28 shots to secure his 551st win in his 1,003rd appearance. Wild rookie Marco Rossi helped the veteran netminder get the job done with the game-winner in the extra frame.

"Just one more would be good, just to get a little step," Fleury said with a laugh, per Bally Sports North. "It's an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as (Roy). He was one of my idols growing up. I've been very fortunate to play with many great teammates, many great teams throughout my career."

It was a bit of a nail-biter for Fleury, who had to dash back into the crease when Jackets winger Justin Danforth missed on an empty-net chance. With a crisis narrowly averted, Wild forward Marcus Johansson scored the equalizer with just under two minutes remaining in regulation.

Fleury also stood tall in overtime when the Jackets had an odd-man rush. There, he flashed the leather on Yegor Chinakhov, and Rossi scored mere moments later.

"I knew he was to my left," Fleury said of the stop. "When the guy was coming through the middle, he looked at me a bit, but I assumed he was going to try to (pass) there. I was just trying to get across, right? It was fun to catch that one up in the air."

Fleury's next chance to take sole possession of second place will come Monday against the Dallas Stars in Minnesota. He has started four straight games for the Wild with Filip Gustavsson sidelined with a lower-body injury.

"Whoever's in the lineup has to step up, myself included," Fleury said. "It's kind of nice, actually, to play a few games in a row. It feels a little better when you get in there. We needed a win, and finally feels good to get one here."

Martin Brodeur is the league's all-time wins leader with 691 victories.

In September, Fleury said he wouldn't make a decision on his retirement until the end of the 2023-24 season.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the verge of getting William Nylander under contract for the next eight seasons.

"The Maple Leafs fly home from San Jose on Sunday and we could see this as soon as Monday," Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on the latest edition of "Saturday Headlines."

"I do believe the (average annual value) for Nylander is going to be around $11.5 million a year," Friedman continued. "Now, obviously there's going to be a ton of debate about this. I think quite simply it came down to one fact: The Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to keep the player, they think he's a good player and a big part of their future, and this was the price that it took to get him for eight years, and that's what they're going to do."

Nylander notched two goals and an assist in the Leafs' 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

"Obviously, that would be a dream to stay (in Toronto) - I mean, to play for such an organization," he said postgame when asked about the possibility of signing long term. "And I call Toronto home. So I think that'd be a very special feeling."

Nylander is one of the NHL's highest-profile pending unrestricted free agents. He leads all pending UFAs in assists (33) and points (54) through 37 games this season. Only Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart has racked up more goals than Nylander among that group in 2023-24.

The 27-year-old Maple Leafs star is in the final season of the six-year pact he inked with Toronto on Dec. 1, 2018. It carries a cap hit of $6,962,366, according to CapFriendly.

Nylander is in his ninth campaign with the Maple Leafs, who drafted him eighth overall in 2014.

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Jack Hughes wasn't in the New Jersey Devils' lineup for their 6-4 defeat to his brother, Quinn, and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

Hughes went down the tunnel late in the third period of New Jersey's 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday and didn't return.

On Friday, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff had no update when asked about Hughes postgame.

The 22-year-old star entered Saturday leading New Jersey with 45 points despite missing five games due to injury earlier in the season. He has 15 goals - which ranked second on the club - in 32 contests.

Hughes was one of 32 players named to All-Star rosters on Thursday. Quinn also earned a nod.

On Saturday, the Devils placed Timo Meier - who's been out since Dec. 30 - on injured reserve retroactive to that date. They recalled forward Max Willman from the AHL's Utica Comets in a corresponding move to account for Hughes' absence.

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Los Angeles Kings goaltender Pheonix Copley will miss the remainder of the campaign after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery, the team announced Saturday.

The 31-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.

Copley suited up for just eight games this season, and his last appearance came Dec. 10 in a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers. He registered a 4-1-2 record to go along with an .870 save percentage and 3.16 goals-against average.

The Kings placed Copley on long-term injured reserve Dec. 17. He suffered the ailment in practice two days prior.

The journeyman emerged as a surprisingly reliable option for Los Angeles last season, posting a 24-6-3 record, .903 save percentage, and 2.64 goals-against average in a career-high 37 showings.

Copley signed a one-year, $1.5-million extension in February and can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

He owns a career .899 save percentage across 76 contests, split between the St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and Kings.

Los Angeles has been heavily leaning on Cam Talbot, who has been spectacular this season. The Kings currently occupy the third spot in the Pacific Division with a 20-9-6 record.

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Brad Marchand wants to make sure people don't forget about Sidney Crosby in a discussion of the NHL's elite.

The Boston Bruins winger believes the Pittsburgh Penguins star and another Nova Scotian center, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, are the cream of the crop in terms of two-way play.

"I think (Crosby is) still obviously one of the best in the world, but he’s not really getting the credit he deserves right now,” Marchand said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “A lot of the attention is on the younger guys, but if you look at the details of the game, and full 200 feet, he’s by far the best player in the league, him and (MacKinnon).”

Crosby earned his ninth All-Star nod Thursday when the league revealed the first 32 players heading to the festivities in Toronto next month. MacKinnon also cracked the initial list amid a Hart Trophy-worthy season.

Marchand acknowledged that much of the attention at the All-Star Game will be on younger players like the league's leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, and three-time Hart winner Connor McDavid. But the Bruins winger lauded Crosby for the success he's had playing a different style.

“He’s not as flashy as some of the higher-end guys,” Marchand said. “He’s direct. He plays safe but he plays hard and direct. He plays a winning game. I think he’s learned how to play the right way that you need to play in playoffs to have success. He plays that the entire season. He’s not trying to beat somebody one-on-one every time he gets the puck. He tries to find open space and find the open man, he moves it quick.”

Marchand typically trains with Crosby and MacKinnon in the summer. All three hail from Nova Scotia; the latter two are from Cole Harbour, while Marchand is from Hammonds Plains.

Crosby scored the eventual game-winner for the Penguins midway through the third period of a 6-5 victory over the Bruins on Thursday night. He netted the decisive tally about eight minutes after Marchand tied it while shorthanded. Crosby also collected a pair of assists, while Marchand's marker was his second of the contest.

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Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard has been placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks due to a fractured jaw, the team announced Saturday.

Bedard was injured in the first period of Friday's loss to the New Jersey Devils after a hit from Brendan Smith. He didn't play another shift after the collision

Several Blackhawks came to Bedard's defense, including veteran Nick Foligno, who also landed on IR with a fractured finger following a fight against Smith.

Chicago forward Boris Katchouk called the hit dirty after the game, but head coach Luke Richardson didn't see any malicious intent from the Devils defender.

Bedard has lived up to the hype of being last year's No. 1 overall pick, leading all rookies with 15 goals and 33 points in 39 games - numbers that also pace the Blackhawks.

The 18-year-old was chosen as Chicago's lone All-Star Game representative earlier this week, but the injury puts his status in jeopardy as festivities are scheduled for Feb. 1-3 in Toronto.

The Blackhawks are currently 31st in the league standings at 11-26-2 and have lost five in a row heading into Sunday's matinee against the Calgary Flames.

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Booking a marginal loss Thursday was the best-case scenario given that none of our five teams scored first. That can be an arduous watch. However, if you were on the other side, with five 1-0 leads, you'd also be annoyed if you only won three of those games. Welcome to hockey betting, where Chris Kreider can tap a goal home with his skate as long as he doesn't cock his foot back like David Beckham.

The cheat sheet

If you're thinking about betting any game on the slate, here's a look at the price you should be hoping to get on the moneyline for a valuable bet.

Best bets for Jan. 6

Flames (-120) @ Flyers (+100)

The Flames can be found for our target moneyline price with some line shopping. But even at -120, Calgary is worth a bet in a game between two teams that appear to be headed in different directions. The Flyers have lost six of their last seven games and have the fourth-worst xG% in that time at 43% despite getting above-average goaltending from Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson.

The Flames have won six of eight despite Calgary generating below-average high-danger chances at even strength. If the Flyers continue to allow more high-danger chances than they create, the Flames should ride Jacob Markstrom - quietly second in the league in GSAx - to a road win.

Pick: Flames (-120)

Sabres (+150) @ Penguins (-175)

The Sabres and Penguins have picked up the pace since before the Christmas break, as only the Stars and Panthers have a better xG%. Pittsburgh's seen results, going 6-2 in its last eight games, but Buffalo's better play hasn't translated yet in that same span as the team is 3-3.

After taking a while to get back in the flow of things following a three-week absence, Tage Thompson's gone from four points in his first eight games to a stretch of eight in his last six.

Neither team has received standout goaltending this year, making this matchup more of a toss-up than the odds suggest. So, we'd much rather take the +150 than have to lay -175.

Pick: Sabres moneyline (+150)

Canucks (+100) @ Devils (-120)

I've downgraded the Devils without Dougie Hamilton and even more without Timo Meier. However, New Jersey has fared well without its biggest minutes-eating defenseman, winning five of its last six.

The Devils are on the second game of a back-to-back, which is accounted for in our target price. But they're expected to start Nico Daws, who's won both his starts since taking over the backup role.

We faded the Canucks on Thursday on the premise that their metrics are propped up by their success at home. That loss to the Blues was a high-event game, something you don't want to get into with the Devils. The Canucks found that out for themselves earlier this season when they lost to New Jersey 6-5 in Vancouver.

Pick: Devils (-120)

Wild (-125) @ Blue Jackets (+105)

Projecting how much to downgrade a team with a missing player is an inexact science. But in two of the three games without Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild generated just four high-danger chances at even strength. In the other, they converted just one of 13 high-danger chances. Minnesota lost all three, so maybe Kaprizov is worth more to the Wild's win probability than the market's accounted for.

Columbus is never a fun bet, but at least the team is expected to get Elvis Merzlikins - its best goaltending option - back after he missed some time with an illness. It's a nice landing spot at home against the Wild without their point-per-game scorer.

Pick: Blue Jackets (+105)

Sunday cheat sheet

With just four games on the board, here are the moneylines to target if you're looking to bet on Sunday.

Matt Russell is the lead betting analyst for theScore. If there's a bad beat to be had, Matt will find it. Find him on social media @mrussauthentic.

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