Local Beat Writers Put MN Wild and Their “Mopey” Goalie on Blast

The Minnesota Wild are going back to St. Paul for Game 3 of their second round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, down 2-0 and in serious danger of being put on a knockout count before this thing even gets back to Denver.

Yet again, as has been the case for much of the 2026 NHL Playoffs and even going back to the final weeks of the regular season, most questions swirling around the MN Wild revolve around the goaltender position.

Before the postseason started, the Wild surprised everyone when they chose to start Jesper Wallstedt in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars, over regular season starter, Filip Gustavsson, amid rising tension in the locker room over his his play.

Their bold decision paid off, though, when in front of Wallstedt’s steadiness in net, Minnesota outplayed the Dallas Stars, booting their division rival from the Western Conference playoff bracket in just six games.

While his MN Wild teammates were busy winning the organization’s first playoff series since 2014-15, Gustavsson reportedly wasn’t taking his benching in stride, a report he all but confirmed Tuesday night.

Minnesota Wild give net back to Filip Gustavsson and immediately regret it

So, after Wallstedt and the Wild allowed EIGHT goals (nine if you include the empty-netter) in a 9-6 shootout loss Game 1 against the Avalanche, head coach John Hynes decided to make another change in net, tabbing the Gus Bus over Wally for Game 2.

Unfortunately, that didn’t go over well, either. Gustavsson looked rusty and downright uncomfortable from opening puck drop. He allowed 4 goals on just 22 shots (.818 save %). In hindsight, his performance shouldn’t be surprising, considering he had three weeks between starts (and didn’t look good before that).

So Wednesday morning, The Athletic reporters Michael Russo and Joe Smith lambasted Minnesota’s decision to switch goalies for Game 2. Not only was the move unnecessary, they argued, but the Wild turned one ticked-off goalie into two, because now Wallstedt is mad too.

The decision to play Filip Gustavsson over Jesper Wallstedt in Game 2 was a flop. The Avalanche scored on their first two shots en route to a 5-2 victory at Ball Arena. And the third goal — the eventual game winner — was soft, plain and simple.

Judging from Wallstedt’s demeanor Tuesday morning and Gustavsson’s after the Game 2 loss, the Wild now have two ticked-off goalies on their hands, which could have long-term implications for one of them.

Michael Russo and Joe Smith – The Athletic

Filip Gustavsson “mopey” after another poor performance

It became clear very quickly at his locker room after the game that Gus had no interest in answering questions from reporters, especially those regarding his time on the bench and any feelings that stemmed from it.

Instead, the normally affable goalie was extremely short and rather curt with his answers, if you want to call them answers.

Even when given the opportunity to be a good teammate and show some support for Wallstedt– who’s been playing in his first-ever NHL postseason because Gus fell apart, he instead dodged that part of the question to talk more (or less) about his own feelings.

Jeepers creepers, Filip Gustavsson's postgame interview after last night's Wild loss is hard to watch.

His (non)answer on what it's been like watching Wallstedt was especially telling. Guy might need a mirror for all that anger…

Reporter: "[Hynes] kind of praised you for how… pic.twitter.com/XoYGo6hV4e

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) May 6, 2026

Reporter: “[Hynes] kind of praised you for how you have handled the situation. What’s it been like to watch Jesper and the adjustment for you from how much you played in the regular season?”

Gus: “I just wait for my time and cheer the team on and then we wait and see what happens.”

From video above – Game 2 postgame interview (via Minnesota Wild)

As Russo and Smith point out in their piece, the only person Gus should be upset with is himself. He’s the one who played himself out of a starting spot. Yet he seems upset at the world instead.

Clearly, something will have to give on this situation, during the offseason. But really, Gustavsson’s cracks started to show around the Olympic break, when the normally rock-solid netminder suddenly stopped making routine saves and his goals-against began piling up.

By the time Minnesota played out game 82, their starting goalie was no longer their best option. In fact, the soon-to-be 27-year-old played so poorly late in the regular season that, by the time it was over, he had worse numbers than Wallstedt (see table below).

MN Wild reporters take aim at Filip Gustavsson

So, to close out their hit piece on the Minnesota Wild’s goalie decision for Game 2, Michael Russo and Joe Smith turned their sights on Filip Gustavsson, himself, ruthlessly described the former No. 1’s demeanor during his meeting with reporters as “mopey”.

Really inspiring stuff from a veteran in whom the Wild invested a five-year, $34 million extension eight months ago…Gustavsson’s mopey demeanor after Tuesday’s game sure didn’t portray that. He was full of one-word answers and non-answers.

Michael Russo and Joe Smith – The Athletic

Then, they proceeded to bury Gustavsson for his lack of awareness, especially given the circumstances and where the blame really belongs, which is with him.

As you can see in the table below, Wallstedt finished with a higher save %, higher quality save % lower goals against average, lower goals against average… and less than half the number of “Really Bad Starts” (RBS) compared to Gustavsson.

So to close their article, in a rather rare occurrence for any journalistically trained beat writer, Russo and Smith actually called for the Minnesota Wild to put Jesper Wallstedt back in net for Game 2, arguing that he’s the only goalie on roster capable of stealing a win.

Wallstedt pushed his way into a rotation this season with his strong play and earned the net for the start of these playoffs. Gustavsson needs to accept that and understand he’s the one who made this decision for the Wild coaches with the way he played after the Olympics.

This series isn’t over. There’s still a chance for the Wild to get back into it. But they’re going to need a lot more saves. They’re going to need someone who can outplay career journeyman Scott Wedgewood and perhaps steal them a win. And, right now, that guy is Wallstedt.

Michael Russo and Joe Smith – The Athletic

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