Story by
Minnesota Wild Suddenly Unsure of Their Plan at Goalie
- Story by
- Minnesota Wild Suddenly Unsure of Their Plan at Goalie
Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
There were 15 goals scored between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche , in an insane Game 1 between the two Central Division rivals. Unfortunately, the road Wild came out on the losing end of the 9-6 shootout, and now trail in the series , 1-0.
Advertisement
After the game, head coach John Hynes showed confidence in his young goaltender, Jesper Wallstedt , seemingly waving off any questions about possibly replacing the 23-year-old former first round pick, in exchange for regular season starter, Filip Gustavsson .
Minnesota Wild now thinking about a goalie swap?
That was until Monday afternoon, when NHL insider Michael Russo (The Athletic) tweet out that Hynes has not made any lineup decisions yet for Game 2 in Colorado , including at goalie.
Related Headlines
Hynes hasn’t made lineup decisions for tomorrow yet, including his goaltender
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) May 4, 2026
Against the Dallas Stars in round one, Wallstedt was incredibly impressive, posting a .924 save % and 2.3 GAA while the MN Wild went 4-1-1 in his starts. Of course, Wally started all of the first round games against Dallas.
Advertisement
Gustavsson was a surprise benching at the start of the postseason, after a late-season meltdown that forced the Wild to replace him with the kid, who came in with no playoff experience. The 27-year-old former 2nd round pick recorded a .903 save % in the regular season with a 2.69 GAA.
More MN Wild News: NHL Playoff Games Not a Priority for Grand Casino Arena?
My antennas are up on this situation, mostly because the Colorado Avalanche talked postgame Sunday about how they scouted a weakness in Wallstedt’s game, specifically on shots from the left faceoff circle , a spot they scored FIVE goals from in Game 1.
Could the Avs admission have anything to do with the Minnesota Wild’s sudden hesitation to start Jesper for his seventh-straight game? Only time will tell…
Advertisement
Related Headlines
