As the Stanley Cup playoffs are rapidly approaching, some teams still need to figure out who their starting goalie for a theoretical Game 1 will be. One of those teams is the Minnesota Wild, as they need to decide between the long-time veteran Marc-Andre Fleury and the up-and-coming Filip Gustavsson, with both playing excellent as of late.
Daily Faceoff’s goalie expert Mike McKenna talked about the Wild’s goaltending situation and who should get the first start on Daily Faceoff Live along with Frank Seravalli.
Mike McKenna: From the topical standpoint, it sure seems like Filip Gustavsson should be the number one goaltender in Minnesota, especially when you’re going on the statistics. He’s got a .932% save percentage this season, he’s won 20 games, and even recently he’s got a .920% save percentage, a 2.58 GAA in his last six and is a 3-1-2. That should all lead toward a goaltender starting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But here’s the thing. Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury have been straight-up alternating games since March 11th, six games apiece. And Fleury’s numbers largely mirror Gustavsson’s. He’s also 4-1-1, so he’s won one more game in that span, he’s got a .919% save percentage, but in those games, Fleury’s allowed four goals in three of them.
So this is a real yin and yang here, and I think what it comes down to for me is that you look at the loyalty that’s been there for Marc-Andre Fleury, whether it’s with Bill Guerin the GM, whether it’s with Dean Evason the coach. Last year, Fleury came in at the trade deadline and he supplanted Cam Talbot. Cam Talbot was 13-0-3 in his last 16 starts for the Minnesota Wild, and he got benched at the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by Evason in favor of Fleury, who has Stanley Cups under his belt, a Vezina.
I think this is what it comes down to. Gustavsson’s got a .932% on the year, Fleury’s got a .910%, but Fleury’s been a lot better lately, and Fleury’s been winning games. I actually think Marc-Andre Fleury still has the inside track to be the starting goaltender for the Minnesota Wild when playoffs start. I think the difference is the leash not going to be long at all. You could see Gustavsson or Fleury in some sort of a tandem even toward the end of the playoffs.
Frank Seravalli: It’s so interesting because you think back to last year in the playoffs, yes Dean Evason went with Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 1, but then in Game 6 with the season on the line, went back to Cam Talbot. So Fleury started the first five, with a .906% save percentage in those five games, and then he ends up turning to Talbot for what ended up being the elimination game, as he wasn’t able to stave off the Blues.
You can watch the full episode here…
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