PHILADELPHIA — Filip Gustavsson skated off the ice after the first period and posed a question to Wild goaltending coach Frederic Chabot.
Did he find Gustavsson's glove?
"I thought I played with two blockers out there," Gustavsson said.
Usually a magnet for shots, Gustavsson was more like Teflon early on Tuesday night against the Devils. At one stoppage, he spiked the puck.
"Some games just have those," the first-year Wild netminder said. "It's two centimeters from hitting the pocket, and then it's going to be a super-cute save. Some nights it just bounces off you."
Either way, Gustavsson was repelling pressure from New Jersey, piling up enough stops to help the Wild outlast the Devils 2-1 in overtime and solidifying another clutch performance during his first playoff chase as an NHLer.
"He's a gamer, for sure," said Matt Boldy, who christened Gustavsson's effort a win with his buzzer-beater breakaway. "Just his mindset going into games, he seems loose and excited to play games — not nervous about them. I think that plays a big role, at least for me as a player — I'm sure it's the same as a goalie — is being able to play loose and have fun.
"He's laughing out there, cracking jokes and stuff like that, so I think that goes a long way with how well he's been playing."