Boucher: Extra rest should push Jesper Wallstedt into Wild's Game 3 start
- Brian Boucher said Minnesota’s three-day break should help reset the Wild, and he expects Jesper Wallstedt to start Game 3 against Colorado. - The pressure point is obvious: Minnesota has allowed 14 goals in two losses, including eight on 42 shots for Wallstedt in Game 1. - Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin remain uncertain, so rest and a goalie call could shape whether this series gets tighter.
The Wild are down 2-0, and now the conversation has narrowed to two things — who starts in net, and whether three off-days can actually change anything. Brian Boucher’s read is pretty simple: the break came at the right time for Minnesota, and he thinks Jesper Wallstedt should be back in goal for Game 3. That matters because this series has gotten loose fast, with Colorado winning 9-6 in Game 1 and 5-2 in Game 2. Minnesota doesn’t just need a better goalie night. Minnesota needs the whole thing to look calmer. ### Why is the goalie question so big? Because the Wild have already used both options, and neither result stopped Colorado. Wallstedt started Game 1 and gave up eight goals on 42 shots in a game that turned into total chaos. Filip Gustavsson got Game 2, and Colorado still scored four times on 22 shots. When a team allows 14 goals in two playoff games, every goalie decision starts to feel bigger than it probably is. (espn.com) ### Why does Boucher think Wallstedt should go? His argument is less about pretending Game 1 never happened and more about not overreacting to one mess. Wallstedt had started Minnesota’s first seven playoff games before the switch, including the whole first-round series against Dallas. Boucher’s view is that if the Wild believed in the roo(espn.com)the plan overnight. He even said he did not agree with starting Gustavsson in Game 2. (nhl.com) ### So what does the extra rest actually help? Mostly the skaters in front of the goalie. Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber were carrying huge minutes through the first two games — 28:32 and 27:01 per game, respectively. Boucher’s point was that Minnesota looked stretched, especially on the back end, (nhl.com)inst Colorado because the Avalanche punish tired defenders fast. (nhl.com) ### What about the injured guys? This is the other reason the break matters. Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin both missed Games 1 and 2 with lower-body injuries suffered in the Dallas series. John Hynes said on Thursday they had not been ruled out for Game 3, even though neither had skated since(nhl.com)ter depth, penalty killing, and defensive stability. (nhl.com) ### Is this really about Wallstedt alone? Not really. That is the trap. A young goalie is the easiest thing to point at after a 9-6 loss, but the Wild’s bigger problem is that Colorado has dictated the pace and forced Minnesota into scramble mode. Wallstedt’s Game 1 line was ugly, but the skaters(nhl.com)y works if the game in front of him gets less frantic. (espn.com) ### Why is Game 3 the hinge? Because 2-1 feels alive and 3-0 feels finished. Minnesota comes home for Game 3 on Saturday, May 9, at Grand Casino Arena, and this is the first real chance to change the tone of the series. The Wild already climbed out of trouble once in the first round. But doing it again against Colorado gets much harder if the Avalanche leave Minnesota with a three-game cushion. (nhl.com) ### What’s the bottom line? Boucher’s prediction is really a bigger bet on continuity. Start Wallstedt, use the rest, hope reinforcements arrive, and try to make Game 3 look like Wild hockey instead of Avalanche hockey. If Minnesota can’t slow this series down now, the goalie choice will stop being a debate and start being a footnote.
