ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 When Matt Boldy\u2019s overtime winner went in, Jesper Wallstedt finally allowed himself to let loose.<\/p>\n
First, he might have \u201cblacked out\u201d a little bit, the Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender joked. But it wasn\u2019t too long before he had the bearded face of defenseman Zach Bogosian coming in hot for a hug \u2014 the first of many after a brilliant 43-save performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all just screaming,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cSo much joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
So much so that Wallstedt\u2019s hang time on his celebratory leap on the ice might have set a record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they keep my vertical from there for next year\u2019s testing,\u201d Wallstedt joked. \u201cI think I almost touched the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who is riding higher than Wallstedt right now? The 23-year-old Swedish top prospect, who admittedly felt he couldn\u2019t stop a puck in his low point last season<\/a> with AHL Iowa, is now on top of the world during a potentially career-changing Stanley Cup playoffs debut. Wallstedt said he was surprised when coach John Hynes told him two nights before the playoffs that he\u2019d be starting Game 1, but he has grabbed the net and isn\u2019t giving it back, especially after lifting Minnesota to a 3-2 overtime win Saturday.<\/p>\n Boldy\u2019s heroics \u2014 his \u201cit factor\u201d \u2014 have been a difference-maker in this series. Marcus Foligno\u2019s game-tying goal with five minutes to go in regulation was a potential season-saver. And Brock Faber is even outplaying his all-world partner Quinn Hughes. But this is nowhere near a 2-2 stalemate in the best-of-seven series if not for the unflappable play of Wallstedt<\/a>. Heck, it might even be over.<\/p>\n The Wild\u2019s special teams have struggled mightily, and they scored just four even-strength goals in Games 2 and 3\u00a0\u2014 so any slip-up by Wallstedt in Saturday\u2019s thriller could have meant their season was on life support.<\/p>\n He\u2019s playing with the kind of poise usually seen from star veterans like his idol, Henrik Lundqvist.<\/p>\n He has been the Wild\u2019s rock (star).<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve known this for a while now, that he was going to be this stud goalie,\u201d Foligno said. \u201cAnd when you get to know him, he\u2019s got that attitude of a stud goalie. \u2026 He\u2019s got his chin up high, and he just walks around like he owns the room sometimes. We\u2019re going to settle him down a bit. But he\u2019s in the moment, and that\u2019s what\u2019s fun.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got a goalie who\u2019s excited to be in the net. I don\u2019t want to say he\u2019s playing with house money, but he\u2019s got nothing to lose. He\u2019s the future of this team and a big part of our goalie tandem. And he wants to win.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallstedt was considered the franchise\u2019s goalie of the future after being drafted in the first round in 2021. He was going to be \u201cthe guy\u201d to backstop a young core that included Boldy, Faber and Kirill Kaprizov. But Filip Gustavsson, acquired in a crafty trade with the Ottawa Senators the next summer, turned into a No. 1-caliber goalie, as well, and he got the starter\u2019s money in September, as Minnesota gave him a five-year, $34 million extension.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll get into the goalie dynamics going forward later \u2014 another story for another time \u2014 but it\u2019s clear that the talk that the Wild could use Wallstedt as a trade chip this summer has to be tempered quite a bit now. They learned a lot about his mental toughness, his moxie, his competitiveness in this bounce-back season<\/a>. He silenced plenty of doubters<\/a>. It started in his season debut, when he coughed up a three-goal third-period lead to the Los Angeles Kings before sealing the game in a shootout. He got hot soon after that, rattling off seven straight wins (four by shutout), sparking a goalie rotation with Gustavsson for the rest of the way.<\/p>\n Wallstedt outplayed Gustavsson down the stretch to earn the Game 1 start. The gutsy call has paid off.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could tell right away,\u201d Faber said. \u201cHe has a confidence about him that you obviously need in your goalie. For how young he is, how talented he is, just how poised he is in the net. He wants to be on the ice. He wants to be on the ice in the biggest games. That\u2019s what makes him so special, and he\u2019s been playing awesome. Knowing him, he just can\u2019t wait for the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallstedt doesn\u2019t make splashy, sprawling saves like Dominik Hasek was known for. He might not have the athleticism of an Andrei Vasilevskiy. But he is really consistent with his approach \u2014 one of those \u201cquiet\u201d goalies in net, where nothing seems to shock him.<\/p>\n Wallstedt said recently that the playoffs aren\u2019t necessarily different for him. Why should they be? The game is played on the same surface with the same rules.<\/p>\n Does he ever get stressed?<\/p>\n \u201cNot at all,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cI feel very calm. I know if I just focus on making the next save, whatever happens, that\u2019s all I can affect. That\u2019s all I can do. And make sure I do my best to keep our team in it and give ourselves a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n The timely save is what Wallstedt has been known for in these playoffs. In a Game 1 victory, it was his back-to-back saves in the second period on grade-A chances by Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston. In Game 4, Wallstedt\u2019s glove save on a Jason Robertson rush kept the Wild within one early, and Faber scored shortly after. With four seconds left in regulation, Wallstedt erased a turnover by Marcus Johansson, stopping a Miro Heiskanen chance with four seconds to go.<\/p>\n It was one of many times when the sold-out Grand Casino Arena crowd started chanting Wallstedt\u2019s nickname, \u201cWALLY! WALLY!\u201d<\/p>\n Considering where Wallstedt was this time last year \u2014 a summer of soul searching \u2014 he\u2019s living a dream.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m enjoying every second of it,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cEvery second on the ice, being around this group is so much fun. Everyone is so enjoyable to spend every day with. I love it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m living the best life.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallstedt is quick to credit his teammates for how they\u2019ve played in front of him. There were some big-time blocks Saturday, including by a banged-up Zach Bogosian and Michael McCarron in overtime. He appreciates how the group defends and \u201cthe way we just keep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wild core has gotten more mature \u2014 hardened by scars from past playoffs. That\u2019s where Wallstedt took his lead from after Wednesday\u2019s double overtime loss in Game 3.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just have a trust in the group that we know we\u2019re going to get it done,\u201d Wallstedt said.<\/p>\n You have to imagine a lot of that belief in the room comes from having a gamer in net like Wallstedt, who has a .929 save percentage and 2.06 goals-against average in his first four playoff games. He\u2019s rewarded the faith of Hynes and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was playing at the top of his game,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cLeading up to (the playoffs), he was confident. He was playing really well. He met the moment in Game 1 and got his feet under him. Now he\u2019s playing consistently solid. He\u2019s not doing anything that is not in his repertoire to play. He\u2019s just playing his game, and he\u2019s played very good.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. 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