PITTSBURGH — There were flowers, arranged in a large “29,” waiting for Marc-Andre Fleury at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday night. And during the first break of the first period, a tribute video recounting his 13 years as the Penguins’ goalie that earned him a standing ovation.

Then Fleury and the Wild went and broke those fans’ hearts by beating the skidding Penguins, 5-3.

Freddy Gaudreau scored a pair of goals for the Wild, including the go-ahead goal early in the second period, and Fleury stopped 26 of 29 shots to win what will surely be his last NHL game in the place he helped spur a turnaround that produced three Stanley Cup championships.

Playing his 21st and final NHL season, Fleury stood on his head at times in a game that threatened to get out of hand in the second period.

Jakub Lauko and Mats Zuccarello also scored goals, and defenseman Brock Faber got into his first NHL fight for the Wild, which rallied from an early two-goal deficit to finish a stretch of seven straight road games 5-1-1.

Kirill Kaprizov had two assists for his sixth straight multipoint game, a career best. Rickard Rickell had two goals, and Sidney Crosby three assists for the Penguins, who entered the game on an 0-4-1 skid.

Rakell pulled Pittsburgh within 4-3 just 3:36 into the third period, and the Wild wasted a nearly six-minute power play — which included about a minute total with a two-man advantage — midway through the final frame on three consecutive Penguins penalties.

Fleury has played for three teams since being left unprotected for the 2017 expansion draft — Vegas, Chicago and Minnesota — but remains the Penguins’ franchise leader in every major category for a goaltender, among them wins (375), playoff wins (62), shutouts (44), playoff shutouts (10) and saves (17,774).

And he remains beloved in Pittsburgh even after he beat the Penguins for the sixth time in his career, cheered off the ice by a crowd that remained largely intact to watch him leave the ice here for the last time.

The tribute video came during the second break of the first period, right after Jon Merrill was called for cross checking to give the Penguins their first power play. Fleury got a standing ovation before play resumed, and the Wild killed the penalty.

But less than three minutes later, Marco Rossi was called for a high stick, and the Wild were quickly back on the kill. This time, Pittsburgh found the back of the net on a shot from the right circle by Valtteri Puutinen that glanced off Jake Middleton’s stick and found Fleury’s 5 hole for a 1-0 lead at 11:36.

Rakell scored his first on a turnaround goal from the high slot to make it 2-0 at 15:11 of the first period, but Lauko cut the lead in half with a quick shot that just slipped in between Blomqvist’s shoulder and the post at 17:03, and Gaudreau tied the game with a breakaway goal — off a takeaway and pass from Kaprizov — to tie the game 2-2 with 36 seconds left in first period.

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by Pittsburgh Penguins’ Michael Bunting, right, with Marco Rossi (23) defending during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Minnesota Wild’s Frederick Gaudreau (89) celebrates with Marcus Foligno and Yakov Trenin (13) after scoring during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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