Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt's standout playoffs debut



A Minnesota Wild goalie faces off against a Dallas Stars player.

Minnesota Wild rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt was a little surprised when told he was starting the postseason opener.

“Obviously I was hoping to play. I wanted to play and I felt like I’d been going good,” Wallstedt said. “A little surprised, but I was very excited as soon as I got the news, and just made sure I was going to be ready.”

Wallstedt certainly was, making 27 saves in his NHL playoffs debut as the Wild beat the Dallas Stars 6-1 in Game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs Saturday.

The Wild went with the 23-year-old Wallstedt in net over playoff-experienced Filip Gustavsson, who in his playoff debut three years ago had 51 saves in a 3-2 double-overtime win at Dallas in a Game 1 then.

Minnesota still led only 1-0 with Dallas on the power play midway through the first period when Wallstedt, shielded and looking to the right of traffic in front of the net, reached back to his left to make a glove save on a shot by Jason Robertson.

“He’s a very confident kid. He’s very confident goaltender,” coach John Hynes said. “And I think the way that he’s playing, and the way he was playing coming in to tonight, he’s made those types of saves and I think it was a big moment. There’s going to be times obviously throughout this series where there’s going to be breakdown. There’s going to be a mistake or there’s going be a great play made by a great player on their team where you’re going need a big-time save at a key time. And we got that tonight.”

Right after Robertson made a back-hander on a power play with 4:50 left in the second period to get the Stars within 4-1, Wallstedt stopped a breakaway shot by their captain Jamie Benn. There was also a 2-on-1 break where the young Swede deflected Wyatt Johnston's shot, then he withstood a flurry of activity when Dallas again had a man advantage early in the third period.

“He looked solid, certainly," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “We need to be better early to test him a little bit more when the heat of the game’s there.”

Wallstedt went 4-1 with a 1.82 goals-against average and 0.936 save percentage his last five starts of the regular season, and earlier had four shutouts in a six-game span. He had 33 regular-season starts, with a 0.916 save percentage while setting franchise rookie records with 18 wins and those four shutouts.

He has certainly come a long way since his first NHL game, 7-2 loss at Dallas in January 2024 that was one of only five starts for the Wild until this season, maintaining his rookie status.

“Yeah, that feels like years ago now, which it is,” Wallstedt said. “But I think it shows a lot of growth, and the work that I’ve put in has started to get rewarded from that. I’m very happy of where I am, but there’s still a lot of hockey left.”



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A Republican lawmaker charged in an alcohol-related driving offense won’t have to appear in court again until after the Legislature adjourns for the year.

A June 10 arraignment hearing is set for Rep. Elliott Engen, a Lino Lakes Republican who faces three misdemeanor charges following an arrest early Friday. He was stopped for speeding and other infractions in White Bear Lake; officers detected alcohol and he later tested well above the legal limit for driving, according to a citation.

Engen has apologized for a lapse in judgment; he promised to learn from his actions and “do better.” Aside from being a second-term legislator, he is also a candidate for state auditor.

A second lawmaker, GOP Rep. Walter Hudson, was in Engen’s truck at the time of the stop and an open bottle of alcohol was found in a rear seat. Hudson, a second-term legislator from Albertville, was in possession of a permitted handgun, which could cause him legal problems if he is determined to have been intoxicated.

Police officers wrote in their report that Hudson disclosed he had the gun as the truck was being searched. The report said police took the firearm for safekeeping and said he could pick it up at a later time, which Hudson agreed to.

“I regret the poor decisions that were made during this incident, and commend the White Bear Police Department for their professional response,” Hudson said in a written statement. “I’m grateful that no harm was done to ourselves and others.”

Two lawmakers stand and look around
Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, (center) and Rep. Bidal Duran, R-Bemidji, (right) join other Republican lawmakers gather in the House chambers Jan. 27, 2025.
Tim Evans for MPR News file

A third, unidentified passenger was in the truck as well, according to police. Hudson and that person were transferred to the police department until they could arrange rides.

The Minnesota lawmakers had been at the Capitol late into the evening Thursday as the House debated procedural motions on gun, immigration and social media legislation. The motions failed on 67-67 votes.

There is no indication yet that either Hudson nor Engen had been drinking on Capitol grounds, which would be a violation of a House rule against consumption of alcohol or drugs in spaces under that chamber’s control.

According to a White Bear Lake Police report, Engen initially said he had not been drinking when asked by the police officer who pulled him over — “nothing at all,” he is quoted as saying. He performed a field sobriety test, which the report says showed signs of impairment.

Engen gave a preliminary breath sample there, the report says, which estimated a 0.142 blood alcohol level. After he was taken by squad car to the police department “Engen spontaneously stated, ‘Sir, I had a drink three hours ago,’” the report says.

He told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an interview Monday that he had also consumed alcohol in the afternoon on Thursday as well.

Engen is charged with two impaired driving offenses and speeding. White Bear Lake police also said he was driving a vehicle with expired registration and an inoperable headlight.

Engen has not returned calls from MPR News. A court docket lists a “notice of appearance” on Tuesday.

He is being represented in the criminal case by Chris Madel, an Excelsior attorney who waged a brief Republican campaign for governor.



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