Actor to Wild's ace: Filip 'Gus Bus' Gustavsson stars in season-opening shutout of Panthers

Brock Faber's mom, Karri, executed an award-worthy cameo.

The costume designer hit a home run by dressing Brandon Duhaime and Connor Dewar, nicknamed "Dewey 1" and "Dewey 2," in matching shirts.

As for the casting of 32-year-old Marcus Foligno alongside his 20-something teammates, impeccable.

"Maybe I'm immature just like them," Foligno quipped. "So, I guess that's why they signed me up."

But the Wild's latest "Not Weird. Wild" video spot doesn't get produced if not for goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who's at the heart of the script about the Wild boarding the "Gus Bus" like kids on their way to school.

"I like those sketches," Gustavsson said. "I've seen those 'Not Weird. Wild,' all of them. It was fun."

After the premiere of his acting debut, Gustavsson remained in the spotlight on Thursday when he was behind the wheel of a 2-0 season-opening victory over the Panthers at Xcel Energy Center — his 41-save shutout backing up the publicity Gustavsson is receiving at the start of his second season with the Wild.

"He did that, for sure," Joel Eriksson Ek said.

Gustavsson learned on Wednesday from coach Dean Evason he would be handling Game No. 1, the first time in his NHL career he was tabbed to usher in a new season.

"Very honored to have that opportunity," he said.

A year ago, Gustavsson was the understudy, watching as veteran Marc-Andre Fleury took center stage to kick off the Wild's campaign.

Acquired before the season in the Cam Talbot trade with Ottawa, Gustavsson arrived with little NHL experience but began to play beyond his credits. He went 22-9-7 and finished with the second-best save percentage (.931) and goals-against average (2.10) in the entire league.

By the playoffs, he merited top billing, starting five of the team's six games against Dallas.

Then in July, the 25-year-old's coming-of-age tale was recognized with a three-year, $11.25 million contract.

"I hope he's gained a lot of confidence from the way that he played," Evason said.

This is just the beginning of his encore and a tough test for the Wild is waiting in the wings at Toronto on Saturday, but Gustavsson's opening night performance ended with rave reviews.

His 41 stops vs. Florida are the third-most saves in his NHL career, and seven came while the Wild were shorthanded. Not only were pucks sticking to him, but Gustavsson wasn't erratic in his reactions — his calmness limited the Panthers' potential to pounce on rebounds. Overall, 14 of Gustavsson's saves were off high-danger shots and his goals saved above average was 3.5.

"We talked, me and [Jonas Brodin] between the first and second, it's like, 'My arms are hurting. I'm boxing out so much already,' " Gustavsson said. "So, they took away the sticks and were boxing out. I had clear sight on most of the shots."

Still, being able to track those pucks is a sign of strong positioning, and that continues to be a trademark of Gustavsson's game.

"I'm in the right spot," he said. "I give myself a high chance to make the save."

He also delivered last week when the Wild filmed the "Gus Bus" skit, a minute-long comedy that shows Foligno, Faber, Duhaime, Dewar and Matt Boldy in line to get on a school bus driven by Gustavsson in goalie gear. (While they're waiting to hop on, Faber's mom rushes in with Faber's glasses.)

"I had pretty short lines because they probably thought I was going to mess everything up," Gustavsson said.

But the bit worked and ended up being a sneak preview of the Wild's first win: Gustavsson was the star of that, too.

"He's steady and composed back there," Foligno said. "It was sure fun watching him play."