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Wallstedt 'knew I could' be No. 1 goalie for Wild in Stanley Cup Playoffs
23-year-old making most of chance in Western 1st Round against Stars with Gustavsson as backup
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jesper Wallstedt started the Stanley Cup Playoffs still in the “pinch-me, am-I-really-here?” phase of his NHL career.
"I don't know if it's the right time to look back at it, but everything this year has been unexpected," the Minnesota Wild rookie goalie told NHL.com before making 43 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round on Saturday.
"Obviously, I've known what I'm capable of and I know what potential I've had," he continued. "I knew I had to work on a lot of stuff to get to this point, but 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."
Wild rookie Jesper Wallstedt soaking in potentially career-altering postseason: ‘So much joy’
Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves on 45 shots in Saturday's Game 4. Ellen Schmidt / Getty Images
ST. PAUL, Minn. — When Matt Boldy’s overtime winner went in, Jesper Wallstedt finally allowed himself to let loose.
First, he might have “blacked out” a little bit, the Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender joked. But it wasn’t too long before he had the bearded face of defenseman Zach Bogosian coming in hot for a hug — the first of many after a brilliant 43-save performance.
So much so that Wallstedt’s hang time on his celebratory leap on the ice might have set a record.
“I hope they keep my vertical from there for next year’s testing,” Wallstedt joked. “I think I almost touched the roof.”
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How Will the Wild Handle the Wallstedt-Gustavsson Situation Long-Term?
The Minnesota Wild are in the middle of a knockdown, drag-out playoff series with the rival Dallas Stars. Many players on the team deserve recognition for their contributions to the 2-2 series deadlock. Matt Boldy is emerging as a superstar, and Brock Faber has made significant strides. Still, perhaps no one has been more impressive than rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.
Wallstedt has backstopped Minnesota to a series tie and has been excellent in the four games the Wild have played. He has a .929 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average. Even more impressive, when opponents have scored on him, it’s almost always been on the penalty kill.
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