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."