Gustavsson’s tone was understandable.

He was coming off a disappointing season, he had almost undoubtedly been shopped by general manager Bill Guerin during the offseason, and now he seemed to be the odd man out for playing time in a crease that included a future Hall of Famer (Marc-Andre Fleury) and one of franchise’s key young pieces (Jesper Wallstedt).

There wasn’t much to smile about it and Gustavsson knew it. He also knew he had the ability to change that gloomy outlook.

So far, that’s what Gustavsson has done.

Wild defenseman Brock Faber congratulates Filip Gustavsson during a preseason game at Xcel Energy Center. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

Gustavsson’s 23-save effort in the Wild’s 3-1 victory on Saturday in Columbus — he lost the shutout when the Blue Jackets scored with only 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining — gave him a 3-0-1 record in the team’s first five games. Gustavsson’s 1.49 goals-against average and .950 save percentage places him sixth among NHL goaltenders in both categories.

Gustavsson is making both the difficult and, probably more importantly, the routine saves that he didn’t a year ago. Coach John Hynes has vaulted him to the top of the goalie depth chart. Fleury, who has said this will be his final season, has started one game and Wallstedt is back with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League after beginning the season in Minnesota.

“(Gustavsson) looks really solid in there,” Hynes told reporters. “He’s seeing the puck through traffic. His rebound control is strong, and that’s what you need from him.”

That’s what the Wild didn’t get a year ago after the Wild rewarded him with a three-year, $11.25 million contract following his first season in Minnesota.

Gustavsson had been acquired from Ottawa for fellow goalie Cam Talbot in July 2022. The Wild got more than they expected as Gustavsson’s 2.10 goals-against average and .931 save percentage put him second in the league in both categories.

But Guerin had to be questioning his decision to reward Gustavsson last season. His 3.06 goals-against average put him 37th among all goalies and his .899 save percentage was 34th.

The decision to bring back Fleury for a final season on a one-year, $2.5 million contract created the expectation that he would pair with the 21-year-old Wallstedt this season and help ease the rookie’s full-time transition to the NHL.

Gustavsson showing he’s the top choice in net
If that was the plan in the spring, it changed in the summer when Gustavsson remained in Minnesota. The 26-year-old Gustavsson found himself in a situation no goalie wants, and that’s the potential of being the third guy.

It’s still very early, but Gustavsson gets the credit for quickly ending that logjam by becoming the main guy.

The fact that Gustavsson added the first goalie goal in Wild history in a 4-1 victory last Tuesday in St. Louis only adds to the story. The goal came with the Wild on the power play near the end of the game and the Blues having pulled their goaltender. Fleury had told Gustavsson during a timeout that with a two-goal lead, if he got the puck he should attempt to shoot it the length of the ice.

Gustavsson did exactly that and became only the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and only the 10th to do it into an empty net. There have been 18 goalie goals in the league’s history, but Martin Brodeur did it three times and Ron Hextall twice. Gustavsson also is only the third goalie to score on a power play.

As much fun that might have been, the Wild continue to start Gustavsson because he is now stopping pucks both 5-on-5 and for a penalty kill that was among the worst in the NHL last season.This isn’t all about goaltending either. In their first full season under Hynes, the Wild are doing more to help their goalie, even with captain Jared Spurgeon out of the lineup.

Not surprisingly, that has put Gustavsson in a far better mood than he was a month ago.

“I think we as a team have played really good defensive hockey, and we trust each other back there,” Gustavsson told reporters in Columbus. “Everyone’s doing their part of the job, and when you trust each other, it makes you comfortable and then you play your best.”

Gustavsson is doing exactly that, and for that reason he has exchanged a once tenuous hold on a roster spot for a nearly nightly spot between the pipes.

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The post No Gloomy Gus appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

1. It was a night to celebrate round-number milestones.

Once the puck dropped between Seattle and Minnesota, multiple players checked off round-number milestones. Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek played in his 500th NHL game, though he was limited to 11 shifts and 11:44 of ice time (more on that later). Wild winger Marcus Foligno laced up his skates for game No. 800. Both were recognized at the first TV timeout with graphics on the videoboard and applause from the crowd.

Marc-Andre Fleury started in net for the Wild, marking his 21st season in the NHL. According to Minnesota Wild PR, Fleury is tied for second all-time in seasons played by a goaltender. Only Martin Brodeur played more (22 seasons).

The first goal for each team on Saturday marked milestones, too. Mats Zuccarello scored his 200th NHL goal, and Seattle’s Jordan Eberle scored No. 300; he later scored No. 301.

2. Matt Boldy has no-look-pass skills.

Matt Boldy scored a career-high 69 points last season, a year after he put up a career-high 31 goals in 2022-23. Boldy’s production can be streaky at times, but when he’s on, he’s one of the most skilled and talented forwards on the Wild’s roster.

The 23-year-old dazzled with a beautiful no-look pass in the third period against Seattle in what the Wild hoped would stand as the game-winning goal. With Ryan Hartman coming into the slot, Boldy was behind the net with the puck. He fed the puck behind his back out front to Hartman for the quick goal.

In a similar flashy fashion, Boldy also scored the first goal of the 2024-25 Wild season late in the first period against Columbus on Thursday night. He turned and fired the puck from the circles for a blind shot. Boldy, who missed all the preseason games with an injury, skates on the second line with Johansson and Eriksson Ek.

After the season opener, Johansson spoke highly of Boldy’s talents.

“I think he’s got everything,” Johansson said. “He’s got the work ethic and skill. The compete. He’s just got everything. He’s a goal scorer, he’s a passer. Like I said, there’s no ceiling for that guy. He can be as good as he wants.”

3. The middle of the second period included an elbow to the face (no penalty) and a questionable tripping penalty which led to a power-play goal for Seattle.

The Wild had a 2-1 lead early in the second period. But close to the midway point in the contest, things shifted and turned into a back-and-forth affair. First, Eriksson Ek was blatantly elbowed in the face along the glass by Adam Larsson. No whistle, no penalty. Seconds later, defenseman Jonas Brodin and Brandon Tanev got tangled up near the benches. Brodin went down on what appeared to be a trip by Tanev. Instead, officials called Brodin for a tripping penalty. The Wild – and their fans – were not pleased.

Marcus Foligno drives the net against Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord on Oct. 12. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

The irate vibes continued when the Kraken tied the game 2-2 on the ensuing power play. A long shot from Andre Burakovsky deflected in off of Eberle’s leg for a backdoor goal. Officials looked at the video to see if he kicked the puck into the net but determined it was a good goal.

From there, the hits started flying, too, as physical play turned up a notch. Johansson was hit at center ice and hobbled toward the bench and down the tunnel. But he returned soon after and played the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Foligno and Yakov Trenin started cracking hits on the Kraken. Foligno finished with a game-high seven hits, while Trenin registered three.

“Unfortunately, that swing in the game right there allowed them to get back into it,” said Wild coach John Hynes, of Seattle tying the game. “I liked the way that we responded back from that. I thought when things got a little bit physical, I really liked our response to that.”

Eriksson Ek left the ice and returned briefly in the third period wearing a full face shield. But he essentially missed the rest of the game. Sunday ahead of the team’s game in Winnipeg, the Wild announced that Eriksson Ek didn’t travel with the team and sustained a broken nose in Saturday’s game. He’s expected to be back for Tuesday’s game in St. Louis.

4. Kirill Kaprizov registers his first multi-point game of the season.

On opening night when the Wild’s top line was relatively quiet, Kirill Kaprizov recorded an assist on the team’s third goal. But Saturday? Kaprizov had a three-point night – and nearly made it four points if his buzzer-beater attempt at the end of the first period had gotten to the net a tad sooner.

Kirill Kaprizov had a three-point night against Seattle. (MHM Photo / Rick Olson)

To start, Kaprizov had a perfect feed from behind the net out front to his buddy Zuccarello streaking to the slot. That made it 1-0 Wild. With 14 seconds to play in the first period, with the same score, Kaprizov drew a tripping penalty behind the Kraken net. With only a few seconds on the power play before intermission, Kaprizov took a shot that found the back of the net as time expired. It looked like Kaprizov knew that the puck was only a second late. Video replays confirmed that the puck didn’t cross the goal line until after the period ended.

A buzz-kill instead of a buzzer-beater. But the Wild scored on that same power play anyway, early in the second period with Kaprizov getting an assist on Boldy’s second goal of the season. Kaprizov’s first goal of the season gave the Wild a 3-2 lead early in the third period when he tipped in a Marco Rossi long-range shot in front of the net.
Kaprizov scored at least three points in 11 games last season on his way to 46 goals and 96 points.

5. Wild couldn’t hold three leads.

The Wild held a 2-0 lead 66 seconds into the second period. But from there, Seattle always had a response, and it usually didn’t take long. Just 40 seconds after that Boldy power-play goal for the two-goal lead, the Kraken crashed the net and jammed away at the puck in the crease until it snuck by Fleury. Eberle got credit for the 300th goal of his NHL career.

Seattle tied the game three times to eventually force overtime and a shootout. Kaprizov gave the Wild a 3-2 lead early in the third period, but the Kraken again answered quickly with a goal from Tye Kartye one minute, six seconds later. Boldy’s no-look pass to Hartman put the Wild ahead again, a lead they held onto for a few minutes before the Kraken buried a puck on a delayed penalty to tie the game 4-4 with 3:26 remaining in regulation.

The Wild had their chances in overtime, too. Boldy just missed a shot in tight near the goal. Rossi went to the net and was denied. In the shootout, Zuccarello scored first, but Kaprizov hit the pipe and Boldy fired the puck over the top of the net, which sealed the victory for Seattle, who went 2-for-2 in the shootout with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Eberle scoring.

The Wild never trailed in Saturday’s game against the Kraken, until the final shootout goal scored by Eberle, the third time on the night when he put the puck in the net.

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