Wild coach John Hynes won’t name goalie for Game 1 at Dallas Stars
Wild won't name starting goalie for Game 1 at Dallas
The Minnesota Wild practiced Thursday ahead of Saturday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Dallas. Coach John Hynes wouldn't name a starting goalie between Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Wild will face the Dallas Stars in Game of their Stanley Cup Playoff series at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
After the Wild practiced on Thursday, coach John Hynes wouldn’t commit to a starting goaltender for Game 1.
Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt?
What we know:
Hynes has a good problem to have, as both Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson excelled in the regular season.
Gustavsson was 28-15-6 in 49 starts with a 2.69 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. Wallstedt was 18-9-6 with a 2.61 goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. Both had four shutout wins.
Quinn Hughes misses practice
Why you should care:
Quinn Hughes, the team’s biggest acquisition during the season via trade, missed Thursday’s practice due to an illness he’s been dealing with. Hynes said he should be fine, and will travel with the team to Dallas.
In 74 games this season, Hughes has seven goals and 69 assists. He’s played 48 of those games with the Wild, and has five goals and 48 assists.
Wild-Stars series
Dig deeper:
The unfortunate reality for the Wild is despite being one of the best teams in the NHL this season with 104 points, they finished third behind the Stars (112) and Colorado Avalanche (119) in the Central Division.
That means the Wild will start the playoffs on the road. The Wild are in the postseason for the 15th time in franchise history, and the 12th time in 14 seasons. The Wild is seeking its first playoff series win since 2015.
It’ll be the third time the Wild and Stars have met in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Dallas winning the two previous series in six games in 2016 and 2023. Both times, Dallas had home-ice advantage. The two teams split four regular season meetings.
What we don't know:
Dates and times for Games 2, 3 and 4 have not yet been announced by the NHL. Saturday’s Game 1 could be stressful for Minnesota sports fans, as the 4:30 anticipated puck drop will overlap with a 2:30 p.m. tip-off for the Minnesota Timberwolves in their playoff game at the Denver Nuggets.