Minnesota
Nino Niederreiter scores twice as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2
Nino Niederreiter scored two goals and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Saturday.
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Alex Iafallo also scored for Winnipeg, which improved to 9-1-2 in its last 12 games. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 shots in front of a sold-out crowd of 15,325 at Canada Life Centre.
“He made the saves when he needed to, he’s been terrific (over) the last few games,” Niederreiter said. “He’s a big reason why we are successful in the (defensive) zone. He keeps things calm in front of the net.”
Niederreiter scored both of his goals from in close.
“I think that’s where my office is,” said Niederreiter, who has 12 goals on the season. “I like to be in the paint.”
Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman scored for Minnesota, which had won four in a row.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 19 saves before being replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury to start the third period. Fleury stopped nine shots.
“I liked that we didn’t quit,” Fleury said. “All of the guys battled hard right to the end. I think we all agree that it wasn’t our best night tonight. The good thing about it is we can forget about it, and we can play a little bit more like we can (on Sunday).”
Fleury added that Gustavsson came out because he “wasn’t feeling great.” Fleury was applauded for appearing in the 999th NHL game of his career.
“That was flattering. It was pretty nice of the Jets fans to give a cheer like that,” said Fleury, who is expected to play in his 1,000th game on Sunday.
“It’s pretty cool to get there, right? But it will be nice to be done with it.”
Fleury is one win away from tying Patrick Roy for second-most victories in NHL history (551).
The Wild made it a one-goal game 20 seconds into the third period when Boldy converted a Kirill Kaprizov rebound from in front of a screened Hellebuyck.
Jonsson-Fjallby restored Winnipeg’s two-goal cushion at 2:46 when he fired a shot past Fleury from the side of the net.
“We talk a lot about timely saves and timely goals, we got both today,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “(Hellebuyck) made a lot of timely saves and that timely goal – the fourth — was huge for us.”
The Jets have held opponents to three goals or less in a franchise-record 24 consecutive outings and 30 games overall this season, which leads the NHL.
Iafallo opened the scoring at 3:59 of the first period. His shot from inside the blue line deflected off Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon and past Gustavsson.
Niederreiter gave the Jets a 2-0 lead at 14:38 when he knocked in a rebound after a wraparound attempt by Adam Lowry.
Hellebuyck had to be sharp on a shot wired by Marco Rossi in the waning moments of the period.
Niederreiter made it 3-0 at 6:45 of the second when he scored on a rebound after a point shot from Josh Morrissey.
The Wild got on the board when Hartman scored a power-play goal 10:05 into the second. Hartman converted a Marcus Johansson pass from the side of the net.
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The Jets and Wild play again on Sunday in Minnesota.
Minnesota
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Minnesota
Minnesota Supreme Court considers transgender weightlifting lawsuit with wide-ranging implications
There was an additional element to this case that raised its stature, and that was Hall’s request that not only should the Minnesota Supreme Court side with her client and reinstate the summary judgements from the Ramsey County District Court, but they should also undo the 2001 state Supreme Court decision in Goins v. West Group.
That case set a standard not only in Minnesota but in legal cases around the country regarding transgender rights in public accommodations. In that case, Julienne Goins, a transgender woman, accused her employer, West Group, of discriminating against her by not allowing her to use the women’s restroom at their office in Eagan.
The state supreme court ultimately ruled “an employer’s designation of employee restroom use based on biological gender is not sexual orientation discrimination in violation of the MHRA.” Justices Alan Page and Paul Anderson added a special concurrence to that opinion which went a step further and noted that Goins had failed to prove she was biologically female.
Hall said that while Cooper’s case vs. USA Powerlifting could be decided without it, “this court should overrule the Goins decision.” Hall noted that courts across the country have become more attuned to discrimination against transgender people, “because in reality treating transgender women different from other women is at the heart of gender discrimination.”
Viksnins argued that Goins “has been good law in Minnesota for 23 years.”
“It should be followed,” Viksnins said. “What’s the proper analytical tool for this case? It’s exactly how Goins analyzed the issue about transgender women using the bathroom … that is biological sex separation and that is exactly what we say here and why the exemption has applicability.”
Minnesota
Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Showing He’s Ready for More in Minnesota
After putting up two dominant performances with the Iowa Wolves, Terrence Shannon Jr. clearly proved that he was too explosive a player to be contained by the G-League.
Shannon, a former Illini guard and 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves first-round pick, had shown moments of brilliance with the big club but struggled to earn floor time before being sent to Iowa on Nov. 19. In Des Moines, Shannon played as if he were out for vengeance, averaging 33.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists before Minnesota recalled him only four days later.
But over the Timberwolves’ next four games, Shannon wouldn’t set foot on the court. With coach Chris Finch sticking to a tight eight-man rotation, Minnesota went 1-3 over the stretch.
Then came Monday and the Timberwolves’ 109-80 blowout of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Finch finally emptied his bench and allowed Shannon a chance to conquer his next medium: gravity.
Against L.A., Shannon notched career highs in minutes (six), points (five), hit a three and snagged a board, but – in an act that has somehow become routine for a player who has averaged just 4.1 minutes in five career NBA games – also gave those in attendance a show.
With just under a minute left in the game, Shannon caught an outlet pass in stride along the right sideline and accelerated through the gears across midcourt.
With only Lakers guard Gabe Vincent between him and the rim, Shannon pounded an in-and-out dribble at the three-point line and screamed into the paint, where he met Lakers big man Christian Koloko at the rim.
Rotating a little too late, Koloko stood no chance to contest and, after leaping and realizing his mistake at the last moment, pulled away and could only watch as Shannon elevated and hammered home a one-handed dunk.
Finch might have been able to justify holding back Shannon while the Timberwolves got off to a 6-3 start, but Minnesota is just 4-7 since and is getting little production from its backcourt beyond the contributions of All-Star Anthony Edwards. Even if Shannon i sn’t ready for a starting role, his G-League production alone suggests that he’s likely deserving of an expanded role with the parent club.
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