Jesper Wallstedt doesn’t need chaos in front of him right now. He needs clarity.
Through the Minnesota Wild’s first two games, that’s exactly what he’s gotten from the group in front of him. Minnesota has opened 2-0-0 and allowed only two goals, including one in Saturday’s win over the Boston Bruins, with a defensive setup that has made life easier for its young goalie by shrinking the number of options opponents can create.
That kind of structure matters even more when a team is missing Brock Faber on the blue line. Minnesota has still managed to stay tight at five-on-five and steady on the penalty kill, and Wallstedt says the key has been how naturally the group is reading off one another.
“I feel like we’re more predictable to each other, and guys kind of just read off of each other and feel off of each other what we’re supposed to do,” Wallstedt said. “It’s been working well thus far.”
That predictability is a gift for a goalie. He’s not just following the puck; he’s processing the defenders in front of him, trying to anticipate where the breakdown might happen and what the most likely shot will be if it does. The more connected Minnesota’s penalty killers are, the easier that job becomes.
Wild coach John Hynes framed it the same way when talking about Wallstedt’s work on the penalty kill.
“A lot of it, too, is understanding if there is a breakdown, where’s the shot going to come from,” Hynes said. “Like our 5-on-5 game, we’re trying to get our penalty kill more predictable, so if it’s an up and over and down, he knows if we get beat, this is the option I gotta be ready for.”
That doesn’t mean Wallstedt has had quiet nights. Boston still created dangerous looks, especially late, and Hynes said the goalie had to come up with important stops at five-on-five and while Minnesota was shorthanded. But there’s a big difference between surviving a scramble and reading a play that’s already been narrowed down for you.
Wallstedt has looked comfortable in that second version.
“He’s been very solid,” Hynes said. “He’s been on top of his game, and he’s made big saves when he’s had to.”
Minnesota’s penalty kill has helped by staying on the attack instead of backing off and letting opponents move the puck freely. Wallstedt said that pressure has forced power plays into rushed choices.
“I feel like we just have good pressure constantly on them,” Wallstedt said. “I feel like we force their mistakes, or we force them to make good plays to hopefully spots where we kind of know where they’re going, so we can pressure on that.”
That same sense of connectivity has shown up at five-on-five, too. Faber’s absence could have left a real void, especially because his details directly affect what the goalie sees behind him. Wallstedt pointed to Faber’s knack for picking up sticks, getting inside position and boxing out opponents so he can track shots cleanly.
Those are the kinds of things that don’t get replaced by one player.
Instead, Wallstedt said the rest of the blue line has stepped into the space.
“I’ve really liked what the other guys have done these first two games,” Wallstedt said. “I think we look very solid in our D-zone, but I also feel like we’re carrying pucks up, we’re zipping it on the tape and we’re establishing O-zone time. So I like where our game is at.”
It’s only two games, and Wallstedt knows there will be nights when the structure cracks and he has to solve problems without much warning. But so far, the Wild aren’t trying to make his job easy by reducing the workload.
They’re trying to make it readable.
And through the first two games, Wallstedt and the skaters in front of him have looked like they’re on the same script.
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