ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Wild have entered the Stanley Cup playoffs with fully professed confidence in both of their goalies. Their preference is to keep a secret whether Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt will start.
After the Wild practiced on Thursday ahead of their trip to Dallas for the first round series, coach John Hynes declined to answer the question about who will get the net for Game 1 against the Stars on Saturday afternoon.
“You can argue both sides, right? This is what I would say: We have two excellent goaltenders. We’ve had two excellent goaltenders all year long," Hynes said.
Gustavsson has long figured to be the favorite for his experience, making 49 starts in his third season as the primary starter for the Wild. He has a 4-6 record in the playoffs on his resume, having made a stellar postseason debut three years ago with 51 saves to beat the Stars in double overtime of Game 1 of that first-round series.
But the 27-year-old Gustavsson wasn't sharp down the stretch of the regular season, giving up four or more goals in five of his last six starts. Whether or not his performance was related to the Wild being all but locked in as the third-place team in the Central Division and resting several regular skaters, Gustavsson clearly gave the coaching staff some reason to pause.
“I don’t know if that’s any stress for me,” Gustavsson said. "I don’t make that decision, so I just play when they tell me to play.”
Wallstedt is just a rookie at age 23, but the debut for the 2021 first-round draft pick was a smashing success. He finished second in the NHL with a .916 save percentage while making 33 starts and setting franchise rookie records with 18 wins and four shutouts.
“You can’t go wrong with the decision. Eventually we will make the decision and let the guys know what it’s going to be, but we feel comfortable that no matter who we play he’s going to give us a great game,” Hynes said.
Hynes also declined to confirm or deny the Wild plan to use both goalies in the best-of-seven series.
“We’ll just take it day by day and we’ll make the decision, we’ll go to Game 1 together as a team, and then we’ll see how that goes," Hynes said.
In a unique twist on this tandem, both Gustavsson and Wallstedt were on Sweden's national team in the Winter Olympics earlier this year.
“I like where I’m at. The game I’ve played lately has been good. I think I can play anyone,” Wallstedt said. “I’m excited if I get to play to show that in the playoffs.”
Hynes wasn't ready to confirm the rest of his lineup, either, though the Wild's first pair of 40-goal scorers, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, will be split between the first two lines for balance. Standout defenseman Quinn Hughes was the only regular not on the ice for practice, because of an illness. He will travel with the team to Dallas, and Hynes said he's hopeful that Hughes will be recovered in time to play on Saturday.
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