Wild rookie Jesper Wallstedt soaking in potentially career-altering playoffs: 'So much joy'

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But it wasn’t too long before he had the bearded face of defenseman Zach Bogosian coming in hot for a hug — the first of many after a brilliant 43-save performance. “We were all just screaming,” Wallstedt said. “So much joy.” So much so that Wallstedt’s hang time on his celebratory leap on the ice might have set a record. “I hope they keep my vertical from there for next year’s testing,” Wallstedt joked. “I think I almost touched the roof.” Who is riding higher than Wallstedt right now? The 23-year-old Swedish top prospect, who admittedly felt he couldn’t stop a puck in his low point last season 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’d be starting Game 1, but he has grabbed the net and isn’t giving it back, especially after lifting Minnesota to a 3-2 overtime win Saturday. Boldy’s heroics — his “it factor” — have been a difference-maker in this series. Marcus Foligno’s 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. Heck, it might even be over. The Wild’s special teams have struggled mightily. They entered Saturday having scored just three even-strength goals since Game 1. Any slip-up by Wallstedt in Saturday’s thriller could have meant their season was on life support. He’s playing with the kind of poise usually seen from star veterans like his idol, Henrik Lundqvist. He has been the Wild’s rock (star). “We’ve known this for a while now, that he was going to be this stud goalie,” Foligno said. “And when you get to know him, he’s got that attitude of a stud goalie. … He’s got his chin up high, and he just walks around like he owns the room sometimes. We’re going to settle him down a bit. But he’s in the moment, and that’s what’s fun. “You’ve got a goalie who’s excited to be in the net. I don’t want to say he’s playing with house money, but he’s got nothing to lose. He’s the future of this team and a big part of our goalie tandem. And he wants to win.” Wallstedt was considered the franchise’s goalie of the future after being drafted in the first round in 2021. He was going to be “the guy” to backstop a young core that included Boldy, Faber and Kirill Kaprizov. But Filip Gustavsson, acquired in a crafty trade with Ottawa the next summer, turned into a No. 1-caliber goalie, as well, and he got the starter’s money in September, as Minnesota gave him a five-year, $34 million extension. We’ll get into the goalie dynamics going forward later — another story for another time — but it’s clear 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. He silenced plenty of doubters. It started in his season debut, when he coughed up a three-goal third-period lead to the 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. Wallstedt outplayed Gustavsson down the stretch to earn the Game 1 start. The gutsy call has paid off. “You could tell right away,” Faber said. “He 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’s what makes him so special, and he’s been playing awesome. Knowing him, he just can’t wait for the next one.” Wallstedt doesn’t make splashy, sprawling saves like Dominik Hasek was known for. He might not have the athleticism of an Andrei Vasievskiy. But he is really consistent with his approach — one of those “quiet” goalies in net, where nothing seems to shock him. Wallstedt said recently that the playoffs aren’t necessarily different for him. Why should they be? The game is played on the same surface with the same rules. “Not at all,” Wallstedt said. “I feel very calm. I know if I just focus on making the next save, whatever happens, that’s all I can affect. That’s all I can do. And make sure I do my best to keep our team in it and give ourselves a chance.” 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’s 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. It was one of many times when the sold-out Grand Casino Arena crowd started chanting Wallstedt’s nickname, “WALLY! WALLY!” Considering where Wallstedt was this time last year, a summer of soul searching, he’s living a dream. “I’m enjoying every second of it,” Wallstedt said. “Every second on the ice, being around this group is so much fun. Everyone is so enjoyable to spend every day with. I love it. Wallstedt is quick to credit his teammates for how they’ve 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 “the way we just keep fighting.” The Wild core has gotten more mature — hardened by scars from past playoffs. That’s where Wallstedt took his lead from after Wednesday’s double overtime loss in Game 3. “We just have a trust in the group that we know we’re going to get it done,” Wallstedt said. 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’s rewarded the faith of Hynes and staff. “He was playing at the top of his game,” Hynes said. “Leading 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’s playing consistently solid. He’s not doing anything that is not in his repertoire to play. He’s just playing his game, and he’s played very good.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms