John Shipley: Wild still struggling with the whole play-two-goalies thing

The Wild can’t seem to get this whole play-two-goalies thing right.

Given the opportunity to use the two goalies who split time down the stretch last season, the Wild decided to use Marc-Andre Fleury for five playoff games before throwing Cam Talbot to the sharks for a futile, series-clinching Game 6 loss to St. Louis.

On Wednesday, Wild coach Dean Evason made good on an implicit vow to use two goaltenders this postseason and sent Fleury out for Game 2 in Dallas after starting Filip Gustavsson in Game 1, a 3-2 victory in double overtime Monday.

Gustavsson made a franchise postseason-record 51 saves in that win.

While it’s silly to think any of us know more about hockey than Evason, his staff or general manager Bill Guerin, almost all of us can recognize a man about to step on the wrong end of a rake.

How hard is this?

As soon as it was reported via social media that Fleury was leading the Wild onto the ice for another late start at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, the palms of Wild fans from Bemidji to Burnsville simultaneously slapped their foreheads. The few that didn’t simply crossed middle and index fingers.

“We’ve done it all year,” Evason explained after an unsightly 7-3 loss to the Stars.

Well, yeah, but they did it down the stretch last season, too, and Talbot was actually better over that stretch. Yet it was clear that after acquiring Fleury at the trade deadline, the Wild were gonna go with the future hall of famer with 60 postseason wins notched on his stick.

The Wild played a great game in front of Gustavsson on Monday, especially in their own end, but let’s be real — the young Swede was the primary reason the Wild stole a huge road win. The kid was amazing. Now we’re swapping goaltenders every game?

That would be one explanation, that the decision was made before the series started. But, you know, plans can change.

The Wild played poorly in front of Fleury on Wednesday, out of position, too much time in the box, weird decisions. It was a fire drill. They also were without two of their best forwards, injured Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek. But let’s be real, if Fleury wasn’t the primary reason the Stars have evened this best-of-seven series at one game apiece headed into Friday night’s Game 3 at Xcel Energy Center, he was a big one.

Hung out to dry on a short-handed chance in the first few minutes, Fleury was beat cleanly by Roope Hintz for a 1-0 lead. It was a tough situation for Fleury, but teams don’t win in the postseason without their goalie making tough saves. Stopping it would have sent a message. And when the Wild clawed back to within 4-3 in the second period, the bottom dropped out.

In the leadup last week, Evason was peppered with questions about whether he would play both of his goalies in the postseason, but the query was somewhat dishonest. It was really a roundabout way of asking whether he would just go with Fleury like he did against the Blues.

The decision was easier this season because Gustavsson has unquestionably been the Wild’s best goalie, and after Evason took the leap and started him for his first career playoff game on Monday — and he emerged in flying colors — it was natural to go with Gustavsson again for Game 2. By the end of March, it was clear Gustavsson was playing best in net, and after Monday, it was clear he wasn’t overwhelmed by the posteason intensity.

Wild fans were as sure Gustavsson would start Game 2 on Wednesday night as they were sure the sun would rise on Wednesday morning. You play the best goaltender in the playoffs, even if the other guy is a legend.

At 38, Fleury remains an artist in the crease and when he’s on, it’s correspondingly beautiful. Gustavsson, while no less athletic, is also a technician, and when building something, a blueprint is better than a watercolor.

This series is tied 1-1 and it’s time to follow the solid plan.

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