Wild’s Filip Gustavsson to start Game 2 against Avalanche

A notable change in the Minnesota Wild lineup.

On Tuesday, it was reported that goaltender Filip Gustavsson will be starting in net for the Wild in Game 2 of the Central Division Final against the Colorado Avalanche.

It comes after what was a laughable outcome in the first game of the series on Sunday night. Jesper Wallstedt gave up eight goals on 50 shots, staying in net for the whole game, as Minnesota dropped the first game of the best-of-seven set by a final score of 9-6. Certainly wasn’t an ideal performance from Wallstedt, who came up big during the team’s opening-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Yet, head coach John Hynes felt the need to make a change, leaning toward the slightly more experienced Gustavsson. The 27-year-old played the majority of the regular season, posting a record of 28-15-6 in 50 appearances, with a 2.69 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and four shutouts. The Swedish tandem was the reason the Wild finished third in the highly competitive Central.

Tuesday night will mark Gustavsson’s first start since April 13. It’ll be interesting to see what, if any, rust has to be shaken off as the Wild look to avoid falling down 2-0 to the Presidents’ Trophy winners before the series shifts to St. Paul for the first time.

Gustavsson certainly is unfamiliar with the playoff stage. He appeared in five of the six games against the Stars in the first round in 2023, while starting all six games last spring in Round 1 against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, he has yet to win a playoff series. In 11 career postseason games, he has a record of 4-6, with a 3.36 GAA and a .917 SV%.

Puck drop between the Wild and Avs is scheduled for a little after 8 p.m. ET.