Jesper Wallstedt’s Massive Bounce-Back Has The Wild Right Back In This Series
After shaking off a disastrous eight-goal nightmare, Minnesota’s rookie netminder silenced the Avalanche with 34 saves to narrow the series deficit and reclaim his postseason composure.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jesper Wallstedt did not need to make it complicated.
After allowing eight goals in Game 1, sitting out Game 2 and waiting five days between starts, the Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender returned to the crease Saturday night with the season almost hanging in the balance. His mindset? “My job description is pretty easy, save the puck.
” That is exactly what he did. Wallstedt stopped 35 shots in the Wild’s 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche , helping Minnesota cut Colorado’s series lead to 2-1. It was a response the Wild needed after a chaotic start to the series, and it was another reminder of why John Hynes went back to the rookie in the first place.
Game 1 was not pretty. Wallstedt gave up eight goals in a 9-6 loss, and Hynes turned to Filip Gustavsson for Game 2. But Wallstedt never treated the extra time away from the net like punishment.
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