Filip Gustavsson gets the call in goal for Wild in Game 1 against Stars

DALLAS — Filip Gustavsson's rise from under-the-radar backup to one of the statistically strongest goaltenders in the NHL earned him first crack at the Stars.

Gustavsson started Game 1 of the first-round, best-of-seven series on Monday at American Airlines Center to continue his breakout season with the Wild — then he went out and set a franchise playoff record by making 51 saves in a 3-2 double overtime win.

Although the team never formally announced its decision, the choice between Gustavsson and veteran Marc-Andre Fleury didn't become official until Gustavsson led the Wild onto the ice for pregame warmups and then again ahead of puck drop. But the call was far from surprising.

The team acquired Gustavsson last offseason in the Cam Talbot trade with Ottawa, bringing in the 24-year-old with only 27 games of NHL experience to play behind a future Hall-of-Famer and three-time Stanley Cup champion in Fleury after Fleury re-signed for two more seasons.

But Gustavsson's performance eventually blurred the hierarchy in the crease.

He won six consecutive games from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18, gave up two goals or less in 25 of his 37 starts and posted the third-longest shutout streak in franchise history of 177 minutes, 13 seconds across four games in February and March.

Overall, Gustavsson went 22-9-7 while finishing second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.10) and save percentage (.931) behind Boston's Linus Ullmark, the frontrunner for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.

"We know how hard it is to just make the playoffs," Gustavsson said before the first round began. "Now when we're in it, I'm just going to enjoy it and play like I've tried to play before."

While Monday was his first appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Gustavsson is no stranger to crunch-time hockey.

Aside from a stint in the Calder Cup playoffs last year with the Senators' affiliate, Gustavsson has represented Sweden in international competition, including twice at the World Junior Championship. In his second trip — after going 4-1 to help Sweden snag silver — he was named the tournament's best goalie.

"Of course when you come higher up in even more important games, of course you're going to get more nervous and there's going to be more of that feeling," Gustavsson said. "I think everyone at some point played championship-winning games or stuff like that. So, everyone knows that feeling and knows how fun it is to play those games."

Brock Faber watched the Wild the last time they faced Dallas in the playoffs, the Maple Grove native taking in the Stars' series-clinching win at Xcel Energy Center in 2016, and he was also at their next playoff game on Monday — just on the ice this time.

Only a week after making his NHL debut, the former Gophers captain suited up for his first playoff game, canvassing the Wild depth chart with his mobility and maturity on the blue line.

"When I signed, I was just trying to take it one day at a time obviously," Faber said. "That's what I've done so far. It's crazy that I'm at this point now. Grateful for it and ready to try and take advantage of it."

Faber, Gustavsson and Sam Steel were the only playoff newcomers in the Wild's series-opening lineup.

Among the most experienced were three of the Wild's in-season trade additions, with Marcus Johansson and Ryan Reaves having logged more than 100 playoff games each and Gustav Nyquist at 60-plus contests.

"You need players like that in the lineup, guys who have lost early and know how that feels and guys who have gone on long runs and know how that feels," Reaves said. "I've never won a Cup, but I know how it feels to lose when you've been that close and it's not fun. It's also not fun watching three rounds of hockey if you lose in the first round. I think all those experiences … you need a little bit of that sprinkled throughout the lineup so everybody understands what you're going to go through."