The Minnesota Wild are making a critical goaltending change for Game 2 of their playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, turning to Filip Gustavsson after Jesper Wallstedt's rough outing in a 9-6 loss.

Wild head coach John Hynes announced the swap several hours before puck drop, giving Gustavsson—who hasn't played since allowing five goals at St. Louis on April 13—a chance to steady the ship. During the regular season, the 27-year-old posted a solid 28-15-6 record with a 2.69 goals-against average, showing he can handle the pressure of big games.

Wallstedt, who allowed 14 goals in six games during the first-round series win over Dallas, struggled mightily against the high-powered Avalanche offense, surrendering eight goals on 42 shots in Game 1. The young netminder and Gustavsson had split time throughout the season, but Game 1's lopsided score forced Hynes's hand.

"We have confidence in both of our goalies. They're both excellent," Hynes said. "They both played really good hockey. We believe either one of them can win us a game. It's a good opportunity to get Gus in the net. He's hungry to get in."

Gustavsson brings playoff experience to the crease, having posted a 4-6 record with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 11 postseason appearances with the Wild. Hynes praised Gustavsson's professionalism during the waiting period, noting he stayed sharp and was "very supportive" of the decision to start Wallstedt in Game 1.

"But the thing I liked about it, too, was that he didn't just concede it, either," Hynes added. "He wants to play. He wants to get in the net. He was working for it. He's making sure that he was prepared to do it. It could be a little bit of a negative response, but his was, 'I understand the decision.' As it went on, he wanted to get into the net. But his attitude toward the team and toward Wally was top shelf."

The Wild will also be without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin due to lower-body injuries. Hynes hinted at possible additional lineup tweaks, but those will be game-time decisions based on health.