Wild's Gustavsson stays course amid struggles: 'Can't create bad habits'
Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson isn't about to make any drastic changes to how he prepares for games as his struggles persist in the early days of the 2023-24 season.
"I think that's the most dangerous," he told The Athletic's Joe Smith. "(My process) worked for a reason before. ... You can't create bad habits, or you'll just be in a spiral wheel that makes your game worse and worse."
Gustavsson enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022-23, posting a .931 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average across 39 appearances. He also ranked third among all goaltenders in goals saved above average (30.4) and seventh in goals saved above expected (24.54) at all strengths, per Evolving Hockey.
The Wild rewarded Gustavsson by inking him to a three-year pact with an average annual value of $3.75 million in July. Aside from a season-opening shutout against the Florida Panthers in 2023-24, Gustavsson has yet to play up to his new extension.
The 25-year-old owns a 2-3-1 record on the campaign to go along with an .871 save percentage and 4.89 goals against average. Gustavsson's surrendered four or more goals in all but two outings and ranks dead-last in the league in goals saved above expected (minus-7.3) and fourth-last in goals saved above average (minus-7.45).
Here's a look at how each of his starts has gone this season:
| Date | Shots Against | Goals Allowed | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 12 vs. Panthers (W) | 41 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Oct. 14 @ Maple Leafs (L) | 33 | 7 | .788 |
| Oct. 21 vs. Blue Jackets (OTL) | 54 | 5 | .907 |
| Oct. 24 vs. Oilers (W) | 28 | 4 | .857 |
| Oct. 26 @ Flyers (L) | 35 | 6 | .829 |
| Nov. 2 vs. Devils (L) | 38 | 5 | .868 |
| Nov. 4 vs. Rangers | 4 | 3 | .250 (pulled at 6:53) |
Despite the unfavorable results, Gustavsson is trying to keep his confidence high.
"I don't think I've played that bad. The Toronto game, I don't think I performed," he said. "But after that, the Columbus game, I still felt like I played pretty good. You kind of try and fake that those five goals (against) don't get to you, but even though it feels like you're playing good, and it's not 100% your fault that you're not winning, or you're losing, it gets to you and you start thinking a little bit.
"You try to get out of that zone of questioning your own game instead of just trusting everyone around you, that they're going to do their job and the team is going to play a little better, and you're going to control it together."
Defenseman Brock Faber said he doesn't think the Wild have done their part to help Gustavsson turn things around.
"We've left Gus out to dry a lot this year," he said. "Whatever his stats say, it's on us. A lot of those are on us."
Gustavsson ranks 10th in high-danger shots against (53) among all netminders at five-on-five this campaign, according to Natural Stat Trick. The nine goalies who have faced more each played in at least one extra game than Gustavsson.
Veteran Marc-Andre Fleury started Thursday against the New York Rangers.