Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt to start Game 3 against Avalanche

Wallstedt has been the primary starter for the Wild in the playoffs up to this point, but had lost the job to Filip Gustavsson for Game 2 after allowing eight goals in Game 1.

It’s likely the switch was performance-related, but it’s also a possibility that Hynes was resting Wallstedt due to fatigue, and the altitude of playing in Colorado. Wallstedt’s eight consecutive starts before Game 2 was by far his most of the season, with him never playing more than three in a row during the regular season, so the latter is certainly a possibility.

Wallstedt has been solid in the playoffs with a 4-3 record, a .903 save percentage and a 4.75 5v5 goals saved above expected in seven games. This is coming off of a stellar regular season which saw him finish with an 18-9-6 record, a .916 SV%, four shutouts and a 7.71 5v5 GSAx in 35 games, which didn’t end up being enough to finish as a Calder Trophy finalist.

Hynes also announced that center Joel Eriksson Ek will not return for Game 3, but is still day-to-day and expected to return soon. Eriksson Ek did not travel with the team to Colorado for the first two games of the series due to a lower-body injury he sustained by crashing into the boards in Game 6 of the Wild’s first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Eriksson Ek was great in the first round with three goals and two assists for five points in six games. He’s coming off a solid regular season where he had 19 goals and 32 assists for 51 points in 70 games.

The Wild currently find themselves down 2-0 in the second round against the Avalanche. Minnesota will look to avoid falling into a deeper deficit as the series shifts to home ice in Game 3 on Sunday at 8 p.m. CT.