Wild's Jesper Wallstedt: Set to start in Game 1
Wallstedt is expected to start on the road against Dallas for Game 1 on Saturday, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Wallstedt finished the regular season with an 18-9-6 record, 2.61 GAA and .915 save percentage across 35 appearances. Minnesota's Filip Gustavsson appeared in more regular-season games (50), but he struggled down the stretch, posting a 4.25 GAA and an .836 save percentage across his final six outings, which helps explain why Wallstedt is getting this opportunity. In contrast to Gustavsson, Wallstedt went 4-2-0 with a 1.84 GAA and a .935 save percentage over seven appearances to end the 2025-26 campaign. The Stars will be a challenging adversary -- they were ninth in goals per game during the regular season with an average of 3.33.
