Wild to start Jesper Wallstedt in Game 3, per TNT analyst
- Brian Boucher said on TNT he expects Jesper Wallstedt to start Game 3 for Minnesota on Saturday, with the Wild down 2-0 to Colorado. - Colorado won the first two games 9-6 and 5-2, and Minnesota’s two goalies have combined to allow 12 goals on 64 shots. - The move matters because Game 3 is Minnesota’s reset chance — with extra rest and possible lineup help before the series slips away.
Minnesota’s biggest Game 3 question is in net. The Wild are down 2-0 to Colorado, they’ve been outscored 14-8 through two games, and now Brian Boucher says he expects Jesper Wallstedt to get the start on Saturday night. That is not an official team announcement — John Hynes said Thursday the Wild had not decided yet — but it’s the clearest public signal so far that Minnesota may hand the series back to the rookie. (nhl.com) ### Why is the goalie call such a big deal? Because Minnesota already changed course once. Wallstedt started the Wild’s first seven playoff games, including the entire first-round series against Dallas, then Filip Gustavsson got Game 2 against Colorado after Wallstedt was tagged for eig(nhl.com)oss, so the Wild are right back where they started — searching for a save and some stability. (nhl.com) ### What exactly did Boucher say? Boucher’s point was basically this: if Minnesota believed enough in Wallstedt to ride him through Round 1, one ugly night should not have changed the plan. He said he thinks Wallstedt starts Game 3, and added that he would have stuck with the rookie in (nhl.com)team in front of them is leaking chances everywhere. (nhl.com) ### Has Wallstedt earned that trust? More than you’d think from the Game 1 box score. Wallstedt had already become one of Minnesota’s postseason stories after taking over in Round 1, and he also showed earlier this season that he can handle Colorado’s pressure — he made 39 saves in a No(nhl.com)e a return to the goalie who helped get them here. (nytimes.com) ### Is this just about the goalie? Not really — and that’s the catch. Boucher also pointed to the three full days between Games 2 and 3 as the Wild’s real lifeline. Minnesota’s blue line has been stretched hard, especially Brock Faber and Quinn Hughes, who averaged 27:01 and 28:32 through the first(nytimes.com)reakdown, not before it. (nhl.com) ### Could the Wild get help elsewhere? Maybe. Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin both missed Games 1 and 2 with lower-body injuries, but Hynes said Thursday they were not ruled out for Game 3. Eriksson Ek matters because he gives Minnesota a real matchup center and helps free up Matt Boldy. Brodin matters because he eases the defensive load and lets the Wild spread minutes more normally. (nhl.com) ### Why is Game 3 the hinge? Because 2-0 is dangerous, but 3-0 is usually the end of the conversation. Minnesota is finally back home at Grand Casino Arena on Saturday, May 9, after losses of 9-6 and 5-2 in Denver. If Wallstedt starts and plays well, the Wild can make this feel like a series again. If Colorado wins one more, the goalie debate probably stops mattering. (nhl.com) ### So what should you watch first? Watch the first 10 minutes. If Minnesota looks cleaner in front of Wallstedt — fewer odd-man rushes, less scrambling around the crease, shorter shifts for the top pair — then the goalie switch will make sense as part of a broader reset. If the same defensive chaos shows up, no starter is fixing this by himself. (nhl.com) ### Bottom line This is not really a story about benching one goalie for another. It’s a story about whether Minnesota still believes its original playoff plan can work. Starting Wallstedt in Game 3 would be the strongest sign yet that the Wild think the answer is yes.
