ST. LOUIS — If the Minnesota Wild wanted to boost struggling Filip Gustavsson’s confidence in what was his final start before the playoffs, playing him behind an exhibition-style lineup probably wasn’t the wisest idea to get him back on track.
While resting players and keeping them healthy is understandably Minnesota’s biggest priority heading into the start of the Dallas Stars series next weekend, Gustavsson, the presumptive No. 1 heading into the playoffs and the player coach John Hynes called “a backbone for us all year” Monday morning, gave up at least four goals for the fifth time in six starts during a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
If this was going on in February, you shake it off. But this is a bad time for Gustavsson to be fighting things.
“I don’t know why I should be worried about these games,” Gustavsson said. “You know, they don’t really mean anything to us.”
Gustavsson, who gave up five goals on 21 shots one start after allowing five goals on 20 shots to Dallas, would have allowed seven if not for the Wild’s two video coaches being dialed in. They twice radioed the bench to challenge goals that were quickly wiped off the board because St. Louis players were offside. The Wild are 7-for-7 on offside challenges this season and 8-for-8 overall.
But as Gustavsson pointed out a couple of times, it’s not like he was playing behind a lineup resembling anything close to what the Wild plan to dress for Game 1 of the playoffs this weekend in Dallas.
Hynes sat the Wild’s entire top line of Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman and Mats Zuccarello, two-thirds of the second line in Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, and veteran winger Marcus Foligno. Top defense pair Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber and veteran defenseman Jonas Brodin also got the night off. Including injured Zach Bogosian, the Wild had 486 points and $56.975 million worth of players out of the lineup.
In the lineup were Iowa forwards Hunter Haight, Ben Jones and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Iowa defenseman Matt Kiersted, defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg making his NHL debut and oft-scratches Robby Fabbri, Nico Sturm and Daemon Hunt.
“We lost two playoff series, and I had some good games coming into (those) playoff series. Maybe switch it up now with losing two in a row and then just fight for real,” Gustavsson said, sarcastically. “Because, you know, this game doesn’t mean anything for either them or us. And they’re having fun out there. They’re gonna go for summer really soon. And we’re out there not getting hurt and try and get a good feeling. And when you’re just out there and trying to get a good feeling, you’re not playing hard and your skill is fighting you.”
To Gustavsson’s point, the Wild lacked structure in the final two periods Monday and did their best to stay out of shooting lanes. They only blocked eight shots for the entire game, which Gustavsson understands. He said he’s even told Eriksson Ek, who broke his leg before the 2023 series against Dallas, to stop blocking shots when the Wild are leading in these final games.
“I think today was a little extreme,” Gustavsson said. “We could have played a lot more structured and still get away with not getting injured or blocking too many shots and all that stuff. … It’s all about getting good feeling and still not get bad habits. And it’s very hard, because that balance doesn’t really exist. And then those teams come and bite you because they don’t have anything to play for.”
Hynes hasn’t committed to what type of lineup he’ll dress in Tuesday’s regular season finale at home against Anaheim, but chances are several regulars will also be scratched in front of Jesper Wallstedt, who has a 1.97 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in his past nine games (eight starts). He has allowed two goals or fewer in seven of those eight starts.
Asked if he’s worried about Gustavsson, Hynes said, “Oh, there’s confidence. I think that tonight was a little bit different. I think a couple he could have had, but … I thought there were some unfortunate circumstances tonight on some of the goals.”
Big bro scores first with the Wild
It took 16 games in a Wild sweater, but finally Marcus Foligno’s older brother potted his first with the Wild. It led to a big cheer from Marcus and a bunch of high-fives in the press box from his teammates, for whom Nick bought dinner for Sunday night as a good omen for what he hoped would be a goal against the Blues.
“It was nice to join the club of Minnesota Wild goal scorers,” Foligno joked. “(Marcus) was going to hang that one over me if I didn’t get one soon. … Expensive day for me yesterday, but good karma today, I guess. That’s what the rumor around the room was.”
Michael McCarron grabbed the puck as a memento for Nick, who buried a tying goal past Joel Hofer after the Blues goaltender robbed Hunt, then was saved by the post on Yakov Trenin’s rebound attempt. Later, Foligno set up McCarron’s shorthanded goal for a 3-1 lead early in the second period.
That came with Haight in the penalty box 19 seconds after his first NHL goal was waved off, after the ref ruled Haight scored on his own rebound after pushing Hofer’s left pad with his stick.
“We still did a lot of really good things to give ourselves a chance to win that game,” Foligno said. “You can see just some details that cost us, right? That’s the difference in the game and I think we just have to be a little sharper and understand when you got 10 guys out, simpler is better, right?
“Sometimes it’s a hard lesson because you feel like you have more ice time or you get more opportunity and you want to do more things. But the first part of that game we were so simple and we scored because of it, and made them have to make bad plays and force turnovers and just use our skating and our tenacity to gain advantages. So, disappointing because we did a few good things but negated them with just our details of how to win hockey games.”
Yurov gets hit, hits back
After Gustavsson gave up a terrible first goal of the game to Colton Parayko on the first shot he saw 82 seconds in, the Wild tied the score at 1-1 on Foligno’s goal. Then Parayko boarded Yurov, with Trenin rushing to his defense and getting the best out of Parayko in a scrap.
Yurov told Trenin, “Definitely, ‘thank you.’ Mike Tyson. It was not good hit. If he get same (hit), I need to (fight). It’s teamwork.”
On the ensuing power play, Yurov scored his 11th goal off a great feed from Vladimir Tarasenko as he continues to push for a lineup spot to open the playoffs.
“I just work day by day,” Yurov said. “We have one more game in regular season and then after this, couple days for rest and prepare for playoffs mentality in my head and will be ready for playoffs, but now I’m focusing on one game tomorrow.”
Defenseman Viking Gustafsson Nyberg made his NHL debut and played almost 22 minutes. (Joe Puetz / Imagn Images)
Viking’s NHL career sets sail
League sources say the Wild are closing in on signing University of Wisconsin captain Ben Dexheimer to an entry-level contract starting next season. But Monday night, UConn college free agent Viking Gustafsson Nyberg, who burned the first-year of his contract, made his NHL debut on the left side of Kiersted.
Gustafsson Nyberg was told in the meal room at about 1 p.m. by Hynes that his work visa had cleared and he’d debut against the Blues. He had played two games for Iowa last week on a tryout under his student visa.
Most special, his mother Katja Nyberg, father Johan Gustafsson, step mom Suzanne, sister Nova and brother Troy made the game from Stockholm. They’ll drive to the Twin Cities on Tuesday morning to see him play against the Ducks.
“Of course, a little nerves in the beginning,” he said. “But then when you get those first, two, three shifts out of the way, you kind of get into a rhythm. So, yeah, it was fun. Super fun.”
He played nearly 22 minutes and was minus-1 with Pavel Buchnevich catching him off-guard by slipping behind him and scoring after a mistimed gap.
“It was a hard first (period) getting used to the speed and the physicality, but the one thing I noticed was, like, when you turn the puck over, they punish you more,” Gustafsson Nyberg said. “They’re so skilled, so they punish you more. Otherwise, I felt like I got into it pretty good.”
Said Hynes, “It was great to see him. Obviously, I’m really happy for him. Obviously, first NHL game is always special. I thought he came in and did a good job. Good skater. Good size. I thought he moved the puck well. So it was nice to see him in there and I thought he did a good job.”