himself described as \u201cterrible.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\nHis goalie coaches and management told him that those struggles would benefit him when he got to the NHL level. And, on Monday, Wallstedt admitted he channeled his lowest moments last year to fuel this resilient rally. After giving up three goals in the third, Wallstedt locked it down, making three saves in overtime (including on a penalty kill and stopped all four shootout attempts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think all the experience from last year, that comes into play,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cI know what it\u2019s like losing. I know what it\u2019s like to have bounces go against me. I know what it\u2019s like to break down mentally. I\u2019ve done it now. I know what that feeling is like. I know what mindset I should have to find success instead of failure. And I felt like no matter what faced me, no matter what happened, if a goal scored or not, I felt like I always had a clean mindset and focused on the job to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild needed their young goaltender to come through. This game looked like it was going to be a breeze after Minnesota scored three power play goals in the first period \u2014 including ones by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. They were better defensively than in Saturday\u2019s 7-4 loss against Columbus, allowing just one high danger chance through two periods, according to Sportslogiq. Then they got \u201clackadaisical,\u201d as captain Jared Spurgeon put it, and the Kings relentlessly pushed. Former Wild winger Kevin Fiala struck first five minutes into the third after the Wild\u2019s fourth line got pinned in their zone on an extended shift. Quinton Byfield scored a few minutes later on a power play blast from the slot. Adrian Kempe tied it when a big block in front of the net bounced right to him during 6-on-5 play \u2014 Wallstedt couldn\u2019t slide over in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know my dad used to tell me 3-0 is the hardest lead in hockey when I was young,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cIt seemed like there was something to it. As long as we get the two points and win, I\u2019m going to be happy. I don\u2019t care how it looks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallstedt\u2019s perspective comes after a summer \u201creset.\u201d He started by getting as far away from hockey as possible. He went back home to Sweden after the Wild\u2019s season ended in the first round against Vegas in early May. Wallstedt didn\u2019t watch the Stanley Cup playoffs until Game 5 or 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Once he started to skate again, Wallstedt began to process what happened last year \u2014 the three injuries, the 3.59 goals against average, the rock bottom. He watched some video. But, mostly, he looked back at a lot of the notes he took throughout the year when he wasn\u2019t feeling well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think my gameplan was bad,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel like sitting down and changing my gameplan was the way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lot of it, Wallstedt felt, was mental. Sure, Wallstedt was diligent in his workouts, focusing on getting lighter and more explosive. But Wallstedt, who worked with some sports psychologists last year, focused on how he could handle things better, rebuild his confidence. \u201cI don\u2019t think I had confidence a single time last year,\u201d Wallstedt said.<\/p>\n
Wallstedt had a bad year. It didn\u2019t mean he was a bad goalie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had success every single year of my career,\u201d he said, \u201cI\u2019ve played with guys who were three, four, five years older than me since I was 15. I haven\u2019t had a single bad season and finally now it ends up being a bad year, where nothing works. I\u2019d still have bad stretches where I feel like (s\u2014) and play really good, but now I feel good, and played like (s\u2014). Playing six years pro, a lot of hockey, and I have one bad year. It doesn\u2019t define me as a goalie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Goalie coach Frederic Chabot compared it to what Gustavsson went through two summers ago, the other Swede\u2019s own \u201creset.\u201d Chabot gave Wallstedt a list of things to work on, but the young goalie had to put in the work. And the Wallstedt that showed up early for preseason workouts on Aug. 3 was dialed in \u2014 and different than ones in previous camps. There was a maturity in both how he carried himself, and how he worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s competing in practice from the first minute to the last minute of practice now,\u201d Chabot said. \u201cAs a young guy, that\u2019s something in Iowa that he really had to get better at. His practice levels weren\u2019t high enough. Now it is. That\u2019s why you see the improvements come even quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s something that Gustavsson went through as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that age, there\u2019s room for improvement on everything technically, physically,\u201d Chabot said. \u201cBecause when you\u2019re between 18-22, you come into camp in shape, you think you\u2019re in shape, and then you see those grown men going in the gym and on the ice, and you\u2019re like, \u2018Woah, I\u2019ve got work to do.\u2019 It was part of him growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallstedt said those workouts came into play as he saw the clock tick down in the waning moments of overtime Monday. The Wild were holding on during a Kings 4-on-3 power play. He dug deep, making a save on Brandt Clarke on the back post. He watched his teammates sacrifice their bodies, with Spurgeon and Jake Middleton coming up with big blocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I was in good control, even though I was tired,\u201d Wallstedt said. \u201cThe work I\u2019ve done in the summer, I felt it was worth it. I felt I could keep on pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chabot said he really wants Wallstedt and Gustavsson to push each other. The two Swedes have had a great dynamic together so far. Wallstedt said he couldn\u2019t wait for Gustavsson to arrive in the Twin Cities before camp so he could book them some tee times. They play video games together with some of the other Wild gamers. Wallstedt\u2019s girlfriend Erika and Gustavsson\u2019s wife, Rebecka, get along well. The two have very different lives, with Gustavsson a married father of two. They\u2019ve got different personalities, with Wallstedt the extrovert and Gustavsson the introvert.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they talk in Swedish so I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re saying,\u201d Chabot joked. \u201cSo \u2018Wally\u2019 does a lot of the talking. But they seem to get along. They have fun. I think they really enjoy working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chabot said there\u2019s no set plan of how many starts each goalie will get. Gustavsson, who appeared in a career-high 58 games last season, could get around the same number. But with the condensed schedule, Gustavsson will need his rest and Wallstedt could play \u201ca minimum 24-25 and hopefully 30,\u201d Chabot said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, \u2018Gus\u2019 is the No. 1, he\u2019ll play a lot of games,\u201d Chabot said. \u201cBut depending on how \u2018Wally\u2019 is progressing. If he hits it out of the park (Monday), we\u2019ll be more willing to put him in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s victory over the Kings had to go a long way in head coach John Hynes building more trust with his young goaltender. The fact is, Hynes said he\u2019s noticed the payoff in Wallstedt\u2019s summer training since the start of camp. He appreciated how Wallstedt practiced, how he battled during his preseason starts and made enough key saves to win those games, like Monday. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to see that stick-to-itiveness by him to understand and let some things go that maybe didn\u2019t go our way,\u201d Hynes said. \u201cBut then he\u2019s there when you now have to win the game. I thought he was clutch in those moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallstedt feels like he\u2019s in a really good place. And that includes off the ice. He\u2019s in the same Minneapolis-area apartment he rented last year, when he thought he\u2019d open the year as part of a three-goalie rotation in the NHL with Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. That never panned out for understandable logistical (salary cap) and performance-based reasons. So the apartment remained mostly empty, with Wallstedt or Erika bringing a few things back and forth during his callups. During camp this year, Wallstedt started looking for more furniture. They planned to decorate a bit too, put some things on the walls \u2014 \u201cMake it feel more like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy head and body, everything,\u201d Wallstedt says. \u201cIs in a really good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n