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Goalie Filip Gustavsson of the Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild were put in quite the spot after a 9-6 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1.

Head coach John Hynes was forced to make a tough decision in the net. Jesper Wallstedt allowed 8 goals in Game 1, but was previously on a hot streak. Filip Gustavsson was a more consistent tender over the course of the regular season, but hadn’t played since early April.

Hynes made the decision to start Gustavsson, and we saw how that went.

Filip Gustavsson Struggles in Game 2 Against Colorado

Game 2 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals ended in a 5-2 loss for the Minnesota Wild. While they didn’t allow nearly as many goals, it still somehow seemed they got dominated even more than when they allowed 9 total goals.

Gustavsson only allowed 4 in net, half of what Wallstedt allowed in Game 1. Only 2 of those came at even strength, though they both could be argued to be routine saves. The other 2 goals came while Colorado was on their deadly man-advantage, and their 5th goal was on an empty net with less than 10 seconds left.

The groans of Minnesota Wild fans across the globe could be heard when Colorado scored a goal on their very first shot. At that very moment, Wild fans felt that their team might’ve made a mistake with the goalie change.

Although he let in 2 soft goals, Gustavsson played relatively well down the stretch. Although, to be fair, Minnesota only allowed 18 total shots on net. When Wallstedt allowed 8 goals in net, Colorado shot a total of 42 times. Still, Gustavsson barely topped Wallstedt’s .810 SV% with a .818 SV%.

Now, John Hynes faces another tough decision.

Who Starts in Net for the Minnesota Wild in Game 3?

The Minnesota Wild will return to the familiar confines of the Grand Casino Arena for Game 3 of the series. Both teams got a long break, as the game won’t be played until Saturday night. The 3-full day break is quite an unprecedented one.

Surely, both teams are fine with, especially the Minnesota Wild. Minnesota finished Dallas off in the first round in 6 games, while Colorado made easy work of the Kings with a sweep. This break gives the Wild plenty of time to decide who will be in net on Saturday night.

Jesper Wallstedt was a force to be reckoned with in Round 1. His abysmal performance in Game 1, which the Avalanche had reportedly scouted well for, was a far cry from his play in the post-season to that point.

On the flip side, Gustavsson was the more consistent net-minder over the course of the entire regular season. It’s hard to guesstimate how much weight that holds when compared to Wallstedt’s stellar Round 1 performance, however.

It’s safe to assume that the Wild will lean in the direction of Wallstedt. Michael Russo of The Athletic mentioned in a social media post that the goalie flip in Game 2 was “an unnecessary risk in a series with no margin for error.”

Minnesota is down 2-0, meaning the series is technically far from over. They showed ability to beat Scott Wedgewood when they scored 6 goals in Game 1. They now head into their 2 games at home.

If those 2 games are anything like the first 2 in this series, they may be the final games of the season for the Minnesota Wild.