The Wild’s Goalie Duo Has Become Their Identity

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to winning in the NHL. While there are lots of ways to win a hockey game, the best teams in the league generally have a well-developed identity. The Florida Panthers are relentless forecheckers with total buy-in from every player; the Colorado Avalanche blitz with pace and puck possession. 

The Minnesota Wild kind of lacked an identity until they started winning. With the duo of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota is becoming a team built on a high-end goaltending battery. 

Wallstedt is the league’s hottest goaltender, with three shutouts in his last four starts. Gustavsson has responded by also playing his best hockey of the season, with a .921 save percentage since the start of November. The hot streak by both goaltenders has been the driving force behind the Wild going 9-1-1 this month and turning around a difficult start to the season.

Two goaltenders playing so well could lead to a few outcomes. There may be some calls to trade one of the goalies while they’re at peak value. There could be a goaltending controversy over who becomes the clear starter.

Or you could also have two good goalies. With Wallstedt and Gustavsson on team-friendly contracts, the best option is for the Wild to have two high-end starters. Thankfully, John Hynes seems bullish on going with a rotation.

"Right now, the way both guys are playing is for sure. That’s what we’ve done for the last few games. I would anticipate that moving forward," Hynes said. "I think there might be opportunities and stretches in the season where you possibly could ride one guy a little bit more than the other. But the way our two guys are playing and competing, it looks like a good recipe right now."

The duo also agrees that their high-quality play is pushing them to be better. Jesper Wallstedt reflected on the dynamic recently, saying that it’s been a positive development for both of their games.

“It makes both goalies compete, and both goalies get better from it, I think," Wallstedt said. "I think if both want to play as much as possible and kind of make the other one play a little less, I think that’s a healthy competition, and obviously, I know my role a little more coming into this year.”

That healthy competition has obviously worked wonders for the duo. We’re looking at stats from a small sample size, but they don’t even scratch the surface of just how dominant the duo has been.

Since November 1, the Wild lead the league in 5-on-5 save percentage with their goalies saving 96.53% of shots on goal. They’re second in the league in that stretch in high danger save percentage with an 88.89% mark. That accomplishment is especially impressive considering the Wild are giving up 26.56 scoring chances against per game, which is 12th-most in the league.

In that same time frame, Wallstedt leads the NHL in GSAA/60 (1.52) while Gustavsson places 18th (.38) out of the 73 goalies who have made more than one start. They’re also both top 20 high-danger saves per 60 with Gustavsson in 14th place (6.87) and Jesper Wallstedt in 18th (6.65).

Of course, Minnesota’s goaltending in the last month is challenging to count on long-term. Wallstedt isn’t going to continue shutting out three of every four opponents he faces. There’s a difference between a goaltending hot streak and being difficult to score against being a franchise’s defining identity. 

That identity comes when a team pairs strong goaltending with a stifling defensive structure that supports sustained success in limiting scoring. Fortunately, that’s perfect for the Wild. Minnesota has always been at its best when playing defensively sound hockey. 

Since the 2022-23 season, the Wild have surrendered the 3rd-least high-danger chances against (2645) in the league while ranking 11th-lowest in high-danger chances for (2851). Minnesota also ranks 3rd in expected goals against per game (2.79) and is a bottom-ten team in expected goals for per game (2.95).

It may not be the most exciting brand of hockey, but the Wild are clearly constructed to limit chances and play the dreaded “low-event” style. Still, while it may not be glamorous, it’s actually the perfect fit for a team that is leaning into an identity as hard to score against, with two elite goaltenders. 

It’s a formula that has produced positive results in the past, especially for teams that need to get as much as they can out of a roster with limited scoring ability. The best example of a template the Wild could follow is emulating the success of the Barry Trotz-era New York Islanders.

From 2018-19 through 2020-21, the Islanders were one of the best teams in the NHL. They reached the conference finals twice, including a Game 7 against the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020-21. 

New York’s calling card was low-event hockey with potent goaltending duos. During that time, the Islanders led the league in save percentage from their goaltenders and, like the Wild, ranked in the top ten in expected goals against per game (2.61) and in the bottom ten in expected goals for per game (2.65).

The Islanders achieved that defensive excellence with sterling goaltending duos, including Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss, Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss, and Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin. 

During that time, every goalie had a positive goals saved above average rating, and none started more than 45 games in a season at any point in the stretch. While they never reached the Stanley Cup finals, the Islanders clearly delivered strong results and were a tough team to play against every time they took the ice. 

In the past, the Wild have played that low-event style, but haven’t gotten good enough goaltending to follow through on it fully. That’s the issue with playing slow hockey. When you’re giving up goals and can’t keep up with scoring, it’s a bad recipe for winning.

But that equation finally looks different now. With Wallstedt and Gustavsson giving Minnesota the goaltending this system has always required, the Wild can finally commit to the identity of being a goalie team.