Who will start in goal when Wild begin playoffs?

Q: What are the goals-against averages for Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt?

Filip Gustavsson has a goals-against average of 2.64, while Jesper Wallstedt's is 2.63.

Q: How many games has Filip Gustavsson played this season compared to Jesper Wallstedt?

Filip Gustavsson has played 49 games this season, while Jesper Wallstedt has appeared in 34 games.

Q: What factors will influence the Minnesota Wild's decision on their starting goalie?

Coach John Hynes will consider both goalies' performances in the remaining regular-season games before making a decision.

Q: When will the Minnesota Wild play their first playoff game against Dallas?

The Minnesota Wild will begin their playoff series against Dallas next weekend.

ST. LOUIS — The Minnesota Wild’s two options for puck-stopping duties, veteran Filip Gustavsson and rookie Jesper Wallstedt, speak the same language. They play similar styles and they are comparable physically.

Their numbers, with two regular-season games remaining, are shockingly similar. Gustavsson’s goals-against average, after 49 appearances, is 2.64. Wallstedt’s, after his 34th appearance on Saturday in Nashville, is 2.63. The save percentages are .906 and .915, respectively.

Yet only one of them can start Game 1 of the playoffs in Dallas next weekend, and who that will be is a decision coach John Hynes needs to make.

“I haven’t gone down that road yet of that decision,” Hynes said following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Predators, in which Wallstedt had 20 saves on 22 shots. “I think I’m focused on both guys and seeing where both end up after the next two games, and then we’ll make a decision.”

Gustavsson, 27, signed a five-year contract extension at the start of this season and would appear to be No. 1 in the tandem. He has gotten the nod in 49 games this season, compared to 34 for Wallstedt, and on the surface would seem to be the obvious choice to have the crease versus the Stars.

Wallstedt, 23, got one start last season but is officially a rookie, and has put together a notable first full season after admitting to struggling mentally and physically a year ago while playing for the Iowa Wild in the AHL.

Gustavsson’s most recent start, in Dallas on Thursday, was not a good one.

The Stars rallied to win 5-4 despite holding leads in every period. Gustavsson had 15 saves on 20 shots. It’s worth noting that Dallas’ tying goal came via a puck deflected off a Stars player’s skate and was allowed to stand after a review. The game-winner came with bodies in Gustavsson’s way and he likely never saw the shot.

“It’s tough. Probably was a few tough goals out there,” Gustavsson said after the loss dropped him to 28-16-6 as Minnesota’s goalie of record this season. “I feel like, for how we played, we should have got a better result today. I felt like we’re playing very good, so, it (stinks) right now.”

Two days later in Nashville, the Predators scored on a first-period wraparound and a second-period shot through traffic against, Wallstedt, who lacked goal support as he fell to 17-9-6 as the Wild starter. After a red-hot start to the season — 8-0-2 and solidly in the rookie of the year conversation — Wallstedt has cooled off a bit but showed in Nashville an ability to stay poised in the face of a high shot volume in the first two periods.

After the game, Wallstedt said his confidence remains high and he’ll be ready for his first taste of playoff hockey if called upon versus the Stars.

“We’ll see what happens. I think I’ve played some really good hockey down the stretch now,” he said. “I think the last 10, 11, 12 games maybe have been really solid, even though maybe I haven’t won all of them.”

In fact, the recent games show, again, similar numbers for each goalie. Since March 1, Gustavsson has gone 7-5-0, while Wallstedt is 3-3-2 in that stretch.

So, Hynes’ decision on a Game 1 starter is looming, and no other choice he makes may mean as much for a team seeking a playoff series win for the first time in more than a decade.