The numbers said Filip Gustavsson was one of the best goaltenders in 2022-23, his first full season in the NHL, which is why Wild general manager Bill Guerin signed him to a three-year, $11.25 million contract extension.

Gustavsson was 22-9-7 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .931 save percentage, second only to the Bruins’ Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark, and the Wild started the season with a promo spot about the team riding the “Gus Bus” in 2023-24. But while Gustavsson has shown flashes of that brilliance this season, the young Swede hasn’t been nearly as good as he was last year.

The Wild have been banged up all season, especially on the blue line, which certainly has played a part in Gustavsson’s season. He’s 17-15-4 with a 3.26 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. But the play in front of him hasn’t been the only issue.

After holding the NHL’s highest-scoring team to one regulation goal Friday in Denver, a 2-1 overtime loss that ended with a power-play goal by Valeri Nichushkin, Gustavsson acknowledged his erratic play.

“That’s unfortunately been the whole thing, all year,” he said. “I had a few good games, and I had some very bad ones.”

Maybe Gustavsson’s first two games were an omen. In the opener against Florida at Xcel Energy Center, he stopped 41 shots to shut out the defending Eastern Conference champion. Two nights later, he stopped only 26 of 33 shots in a 7-4 loss at Toronto.

Gustavsson has allowed two or fewer goals in 11 games this season but has surrendered five or more goals eight times. In maybe the defining game of the Wild’s season, he allowed six goals in a 6-1 loss to Nashville, their closest competitor for the Western Conference’s last wild card spot, on Jan. 25 at Xcel Energy Center.

“Coaches and teammates hate that because they don’t know what they’re going to get from you,” Gustavsson said.

John Hynes, who replaced Dean Evason as coach on Nov. 28, didn’t disagree.

“I think he’s right on with what he’s talking about,” Hynes said after Friday’s game at Ball Arena. “I think he’s played some really good hockey in my time here, but I think there’s been some inconsistencies, and it was nice to see him be able to play that type of game.”

The Wild won 11 of their first 14 games under Hynes, and Gustavsson started 10 of them, going 8-2-0 with a 1.87 goals-against average and .931 save percentage Nov. 28-Dec. 27. Over the next 15, was 6-7-1 with an .881 save percentage and 3.94 GAA, a run that included surrendering five goals on 16 shots in the Wild’s 10-7 victory over Vancouver on Feb. 19.

Marc-Andre Fleury, meanwhile, has been hot. He started a 5-2 victory over the Coyotes in Tempe, Ariz., on Thursday and is 6-2-0 with a .921 save percentage and 2.16 GAA in his past 10 appearances.

Gustavsson was strong Friday in Denver. The Avalanche, who have scored an NHL-best 239 goals this season, lit the lamp just 42 seconds into the first period but were held without a goal for more than 60 minutes until Nichushkin’s 4-on-3 overtime winner with 11 seconds left in their power play.

The question now, Hynes said, is “what’s the next one gonna be like? That’s something that we’ve talked with him about. He knows that.”

It’s unclear who will start in net for Sunday afternoon’s game against Nashville at the X, the first of nine straight games against conference rivals, each a chance for the Wild to stay in the playoff hunt over their last 18 regular-season games.

“You’re not gonna be able to make a strong push over the course of the next week if you’re not getting the type of goaltending we got from Fleury last night and Gustavsson tonight,” Hynes said.

Said Gustavsson, “All I can do is try to be more consistent in the future, and that’s what I’m working on.”

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