{"id":551497,"date":"2026-04-13T03:25:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/551497\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T03:25:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T03:25:03","slug":"minnesota-wild-may-start-jesper-wallstedt-in-game-1-of-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/551497\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Wild May Start Jesper Wallstedt in Game 1 of Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Mark\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Can Jesper Wallstedt become the Great Wall of St. Paul?<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Wild have a choice to make about the man in the net to begin the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n

As expected, the Wild will take on the Dallas Stars<\/a> in the first round of the tournament. This is something that\u2019s seemed obvious since January. Minnesota had a chance to go for home-ice advantage in the matchup, however, they fell in a game to the Stars on April 9th.<\/p>\n

Now, Minnesota will have to decide who will be in net for that first game at American Airlines arena in Dallas.<\/p>\n

Jesper Wallstedt Has Chance to Start Game 1 in Dallas\"Minnesota<\/p>\n

GettyST PAUL, MINNESOTA \u2013 DECEMBER 21: Jesper Wallstedt #30 of the Minnesota Wild misses the save on a Colorado Avalanche goal in the first period of a game at Grand Casino Arena on December 21, 2025 in St Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Michael Russo of\u00a0The Athletic<\/a> recently weighed in on the possibility of Wallstedt starting over Gustavsson in Game 1.<\/p>\n

\u201cGustavsson is 2-3 in his past five starts, has given up four or more goals in four of those starts, and has a 4.08 goals-against average and .847 save percentage in that stretch. He\u2019s also coming off that Thursday start in Dallas that essentially cost the Wild home-ice advantage in the first round \u2014 a game that saw him allow five goals on 20 shots and give up minus-3.11 goals saved above expected, according to Money Puck.<\/p>\n

Wallstedt, on the other hand, is 3-3-2 in his past nine games (eight starts) since the Olympics with a 1.97 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his past eight starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you take all of the solid data to support the possibility of Wallstedt being the playoff starter, he has a real case. On the other hand, the Wild may view it safer as it can be fair to say Gustavsson has a lower floor with his playoff experience.<\/p>\n

Minnesota Wild\u2019s Hynes, Wallstedt Comment on Goalie Situation\"Minnesota<\/p>\n

GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS \u2013 OCTOBER 04: Head coach John Hynes of the Minnesota Wild looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period of a preseason game at the United Center on October 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Russo almost covered Hynes and Wallstedt\u2019s comments on the goalie conundrum that the Wild face in Game 1. He began with Wallstedt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens. I think I\u2019ve played some really good hockey down the stretch now, I think the last 10, 11, 12 games, maybe \u2026 have been really solid, even though I haven\u2019t won all of them. I think my game is in a great position. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m very confident in where I\u2019m at, and I feel like I keep our team in games sometimes. And I want to just give them as good of a chance to win every game. So I really like where I\u2019m at.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Hynes wasn\u2019t eager to provide an answer to the starting goalie question.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t gone down that road yet of that decision. I think I\u2019m focused on both guys and seeing where both end up after the next two games, and then we\u2019ll make a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

That decision will come soon, as the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this coming Saturday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tBrevan Bane<\/a> Brevan Bane is a sports scribe covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals. Brevan began his writing career by making a platform on Twitter and leveraging his presence into writing and content creation opportunities for outlets like PurplePTSD, Vikings Territory, The Noise, Hockey Wilderness, and the VikesNow YouTube channel. You can follow him on X @brevmanbane. More about Brevan Bane<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Wild\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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