Wallstedt ‘Knew I Could’ Be Wild’s No. 1 Goalie in Playoffs

Jesper Wallstedt isn’t pinching himself anymore. He’s just playing.

The 23-year-old Wild rookie has stopped 130 of 140 shots through four NHL playoff games and is sitting on a 2.06 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. Saturday alone he turned aside 43 of 45 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over Dallas to even the Western First Round at 2-2.

Here’s the video from the Game 4 win:

Wild head coach John Hynes handed Wallstedt the Game 1 start over Filip Gustavsson, who had 49 regular-season starts and 11 games of playoff experience to Wallstedt’s zero. The call raised eyebrows. Wallstedt then stopped 27 shots in a 6-1 rout to open the series.

He told NHL.com that even he was a little caught off guard by the call.

“I felt like I deserved it,” Wallstedt said. “I felt like I played well enough that I deserved playing Game 1, but maybe the expectations from the outside and what we’ve been through during the season told the group that he was going to play.”

The numbers told Hynes a different story. After the March 6 trade deadline, Wallstedt went 4-3-2 with a 1.98 GAA and a .930 save percentage in nine starts. Gustavsson went 6-5-0 with a 3.22 GAA and a .875 save percentage in 11.

“Obviously, I’ve known what I’m capable of and I know what potential I’ve had,” Wallstedt said. “Saying during the summer that I was going to be playing the first four games of the playoffs, at the Olympics, and 33 starts throughout the year, I would have almost been laughing at myself. But at the same time, I knew I could be there.”

Marcus Foligno saw the swagger early.

“Yeah, rookie, I don’t know, it’s just what ‘Wally’s’ persona is,” Foligno said. “When you see a kid have that swagger you’re just like, ‘He’s got it.’ He’s got his chin up high and he walks around like he owns the room sometimes.”

The Wild captured the postgame mood:

Game 5 is Tuesday in Dallas. The Wild’s goalie question doesn’t feel like a question anymore.