Wild turn to Filip Gustavsson in net for Game 2 vs. Avalanche after allowing 9 goals in Game 1

DENVER — After Minnesota Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt gave up a career-high eight goals in a 9-6 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 1 of the team’s second-round series, Filip Gustavsson will make his first start of the playoffs on Tuesday in Game 2 at Ball Arena.

The Wild’s No. 1 throughout the season, Gustavsson struggled after the Olympic break and lost the net to Wallstedt coming into the playoffs. But coach John Hynes said Tuesday that Gustavsson is “hungry” to get back in and that there are a “multitude of reasons” for the switch.

“We’ve had two very good goalies all year,” Hynes said. “Gus has played a lot of good hockey for us. Wally’s taken the brunt of the playoffs. He’s played seven straight games, played very well, quick turnaround at the end of the series to come to Colorado. And we have confidence in both of our goalies. They’re both excellent. They both played really good hockey. We believe in either one of them. Either one of them can win us a game.

“We think it’s a good opportunity to get Gus in the net. He’s hungry to get in. I think he dealt with not playing for a while. Obviously, Wally played very well, our team won and continued to go through, but we’ve got another excellent goalie that’s hungry to get back in the net.”

It will be Gustavsson’s first start since April 13 — 22 days ago — and Hynes said he handled sitting “like a pro,” didn’t “concede the net” and worked hard on and off ice to get it back. The decision also allows Wallstedt to take a mental and physical reset after the heavy workload recently.

Gustavsson is 4-6 all-time in 11 playoff games with a 2.53 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. In 11 career regular-season games against Colorado, he’s 3-7-1 with a 3.56 GAA and .898 save percentage.

After rotating both goalies for much of the year, even sometimes after one had a shutout, the Wild had a tough decision heading into the playoffs between Gustavsson and Wallstedt.

In the end, both goalies made the decision easier.

In eight of Wallstedt’s final nine starts, he gave up two or fewer goals. In his final 10 games (nine starts), he went 4-3-2 with a 1.98 GAA and a .930 save percentage. On the other hand, Gustavsson allowed four or more goals in five of his final six starts, going 2-4 with a 4.25 GAA and an .836 save percentage.

In Gustavsson’s final regular-season start in St. Louis behind a lineup with 10 regulars out, he gave up five goals on 22 shots. This came after he allowed five goals on 20 shots with 3.11 goals saved below expected in his final start against the Wild’s first-round opponent, the Dallas Stars.

In Wallstedt’s final start of the regular season, behind a virtually identical inferior lineup with 10 regulars out and in the second game of a back-to-back, he made 35 saves and saved 2.8 goals above expected against an Anaheim Ducks team that had a lot to play for.

Wallstedt went 4-2 against the Stars with a 2.05 GAA and .924 save percentage. He made 32 saves on 42 shots in Sunday’s Game 1.

Hynes didn’t reveal any other specific lineup tweaks. Jeff Petry did come off the ice early during the Wild’s optional skate, so banged-up Zach Bogosian could be out Tuesday night. The Wild are already without defenseman Jonas Brodin and center Joel Eriksson Ek.

On the Avalanche side, coach Jared Bednar didn’t announce whether he’s sticking with Scott Wedgewood, who gave up six goals in Game 1, or will start Mackenzie Blackwood, saying he feels comfortable with either goalie.

“Like I said at the start, I can’t just go off conventional thinking of, ‘It’s just one goalie,’” Bednar said. “It’s not the way our team operated all year.”

He also wouldn’t say if defenseman Josh Manson, who was hurt in the series against Los Angeles, will return.

Manson skated Monday at an optional practice. Cale Makar, who suffered a lower-body injury scare in the first period of Game 1, didn’t skate either Monday or Tuesday morning’s optional skates. But Bednar said Monday he anticipates that the star defenseman will play.

Defenseman Jack Ahcan was up from the AHL and on the ice for morning skate, but he remained on the ice late with the other presumed scratches. So it looks like if Manson can’t go, Nick Blankenburg will stay in.

Also, according to a report from Daria Tuboltseva, the Avalanche are bringing over goalie Ilya Nabokov, their 2024 second-round pick, from Russia. Nabokov had a .901 save percentage with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL this season. Though he is technically allowed to play this postseason, the move is likely just to have him join the organization and either work with goalie coach Jussi Parkkila or join the AHL Colorado Eagles, who are in the playoffs.

If Wedgewood or Blackwood were to get hurt at some point, Eagles goalie Trent Miner — who appeared in four NHL games this year — would be the likely call-up to dress.