CHICAGO — It has been a whirlwind for Brock Faber since his college career ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday night in Tampa.

One moment he was bawling crying after Quinnipiac’s come-from-behind overtime win in the NCAA championship, the next he was skating at the United Center making his NHL debut for the Wild in front of his parents, two sisters, grandmother and a slew of other family and friends without even the benefit of a practice.

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A few hours later, after Marcus Johansson scored twice 2:47 apart late in the third period, Faber was celebrating the Wild’s come-from-behind 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks. The 20-year-old led the team with 21 minutes, 49 seconds of ice time, six blocked shots and was entrusted to be on the ice while protecting a one-goal lead before Gustav Nyquist’s empty-net goal — his first with the Wild — iced things.

“Just trying to take it all in,” said Faber, the Maple Grove, Minn., native, who got chills slipping on the practice jersey of his childhood team before his first morning skate. “It was such a cool night, and to top it off with a win was huge.”

Boldy ➡️ Johansson = game-winning goal for the @mnwild! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/x5BqEaJReL

— NHL (@NHL) April 11, 2023

After getting home via a Sun Country charter in the wee hours of the morning Sunday, Faber was fast asleep when the Wild announced they signed him to his entry-level contract. He woke up, put on a suit and hustled to the airport to get on a Delta charter with his new team for a flight to Chicago.

“A lot of highs and lows obviously,” Faber said. “One of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through, for sure, and it’s gonna sting for a while, but I’m here and I’m here to do anything I can for this team.”

In a game that had an exhibition feel because the team didn’t play Matt Dumba and chose to leave first-line wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello and their best two defensemen, Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin, at home with three games left in the season and the final home game Tuesday night, the Wild played a horrible two periods, especially in the second, when they were outshot 22-5.

Assistant coach Bob Woods lit the Wild up during the second intermission, and the team responded to that and one other maniacal thing late in the period.

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Down 2-1 with the Wild on the power play, Marcus Foligno checked Jujhar Khaira. The Blackhawks’ Andreas Englund told Foligno it was a dirty hit. Foligno basically told Englund to do something about it and challenged him to a fight. Englund didn’t want to fight on a penalty kill but ultimately accepted after Foligno followed him around.

Foligno, white hot, beat the kid to a pulp, then punched him while on the ice, ripped his helmet off and held it up like a trophy.

Marcus Foligno wins the fight and gets Englund’s helmet as a prize #mnwild pic.twitter.com/noL20oGdxr

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) April 11, 2023

“Just said, ‘I got his head,’” Foligno said. “It felt like a little bit of a Gladiator moment there. The boys had a good laugh about it. I don’t know. You just get revved up in the moment. I was just ticked off. To be on the power play and then someone says something to you and with the way the game was going it wasn’t a fun game. I thought we just sat back and played a try-not-to-get-hurt game and then when you do press you see what happens. It’s good on the guys to respond that way.”

Foligno got a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and a game misconduct. He sat and watched the rest of the game on TV in the locker room and had a “popcorn party” with Dumba and backup goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“Was I a little bit fired up? Yeah,” Foligno said.

Marcus Johansson does it all himself to tie things up 2-2. Minnesota’s franchise record 14th SHG of the season pic.twitter.com/xlIr9APzv2

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 11, 2023

Johansson, who had a three-point game and has 17 points in 19 games during his second stint with Minnesota, responded with the Wild’s franchise-record 14th short-handed goal to tie the score at 2-2 with six minutes left. The Wild have scored three short-handed goals in their past two games after Foligno minors, so maybe this is a new strategy when the team’s struggling.

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Then, 2:47 later, Matt Boldy, who scored his 31st goal in the first period, set up Johansson again on a give-and-go for the eventual winner.

“I think we raised the intensity, we raised our speed and physicality,” Johansson said.

Matt Boldy 3️⃣1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/dDNQ0rsWFF

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 11, 2023

The Wild closed things out from there, with Faber getting significant responsibility in the end alongside Alex Goligoski, the 37-year-old fellow former University of Minnesota defenseman who began playing for the Gophers in 2004, when Faber was in diapers.

“He’s gonna be a great player. He already is,” Goligoski said. “He’s very poised out there. He plays a very mature game. Great stick, communicates, seems like he’s always in the right position. He’s well beyond his years.”

Faber had a tough first shift, looking a little overwhelmed and getting stuck out for 1:18, well after Goligoski went for a change. Goligoski called it Faber’s “Welcome to the NHL moment,” and Faber joked that he was tired the rest of the game from the shift.

First shifts are always the longest. No really.

🗣️ Faber on his long first shift with the #mnwild. pic.twitter.com/2V7C5iJTnX

— x – Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) April 11, 2023

But he settled in and played a solid game with his parents, Karri and Jay, sisters, Payton and Paige, and grandma, Vonnie Brockel, in the stands. It’s safe to say Faber will get at least one more look in the final two games before the playoffs. The question is whether he’ll get a shot to play in the postseason over veterans who have been here all season.

“I hope to do anything I can to help his team win obviously … whether I’m in the lineup or not,” he said. “I’m just happy to be here.”

Woods, who coaches the Wild defensemen, was in Faber’s ear often after he got to the bench, something he was appreciative of.

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“Just getting thrown in, there’s a lot of system stuff and little things that’s different in the NHL from obviously college,” Faber said. “He was helping me kind of figure it out.”

Coach Dean Evason loved what he saw.

“We had a lot of confidence,” he said. “We talked in between how much to play him, and he deserved to be out there at the end. He’s got a calm demeanor about him, but his legs are real good. He skates extremely well, made simple plays. Yeah, real good start for him.”

No big deal, just Brock Faber skating alone on the United Center ice for a lengthy amount of time thanks to Filip Gustavsson moseying out there a little longer than typical for a rookie solo lap pic.twitter.com/tyX4UMFBzQ

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) April 11, 2023

Especially because he survived his rookie solo lap and didn’t take a spill like Brandon Duhaime did last season in Anaheim.

“I was just really focusing on trying not to fall,” Faber said, laughing. “Yeah, and then maybe hit the net, but not falling first.”

Time for Rossi to strut his stuff

Maybe it’s already decided because Evason keeps insinuating that Sam Steel warrants a spot in the Game 1 lineup, but Marco Rossi knows no matter how many points he scored for AHL Iowa (50 in 51 games to be exact), he’ll need to impress these final few games in the NHL.

“When I look back (at) when I was up here (at) the beginning of the season, I think I was more like playing too safely,” Rossi said before his first NHL game since Nov. 17. “The 50 games helped me a lot to get my confidence back, and now my confidence is pretty good. I’m going to play with a lot of confidence and try to make more plays and don’t overthink it.”

After leading the league with nine points in six preseason games, Rossi had one assist in 16 games before being scratched three games in a row and assigned to Iowa. Nobody — especially him — thought he’d be down there as long as he was.

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“Of course, it’s back in my head all the time, but I try to avoid that,” Rossi said when asked how he remained patient. “When I was down there, I was thinking, ‘I’m here in Iowa.’ Now I’m here and I’m thinking, ‘I’m here.’

“I know what I have to do different from how I was at the beginning of the season here. I know all the little things to do and what not to do.”

Rossi had a tough go centering a line with Nic Petan and Ryan Hartman, lowlighted by his turnover leading to Chicago’s second goal.

Anders Bjork scores his first goal of the season to put Chicago ahead! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/G8NwcTcUFF

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 11, 2023

Gaudreau, Steel have inside tracks

Barring injury, we can assume Kaprizov, Hartman and Zuccarello will be a line to start the playoffs, as well as Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves.

With Joel Eriksson Ek hurt, Evason all but anointed Freddy Gaudreau the center of the Johnasson-Boldy line Monday morning.

Part of the reason is Gaudreau, who has scored a career-high 17 goals and is a quality defensive center, is arguably the closest the Wild have to playing Eriksson Ek’s style.

“There’s other factors,” Evason said. “Him and Boldy have played together a lot, so there was some chemistry there. Will we have a look at some other combinations? Maybe. But we just felt both those lines — Steel’s line and Gaudreau’s line — played extremely well the other night (against St. Louis).”

As for Steel, who scored a short-handed goal and had an assist against the Blues, it’s going to be hard for Rossi to unseat him at this point.

“Sam Steel’s made a strong case all year for being in our lineup every single night,” Evason said. “Whenever he comes in (after being scratched), he comes in and he performs exceptionally well. Absolutely, we’re gonna have some difficult decisions which speaks to the depth of our organization.”

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Is Gus the Game 1 starter?

For the first time in 15 games, the Wild didn’t alternate starts between Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury. Gustavsson got a second straight start.

Assuming Fleury starts Tuesday’s regular-season home finale against Winnipeg, perhaps Monday was a tell that Gustavsson is starting Game 1 if he also starts Thursday’s final game in Nashville. A Wild-Stars series is expected to start Monday. A Wild-Avs series is expected to start Tuesday. It’s hard to imagine the Wild would want their Game 1 starter to go a week between starts.

“You have a crystal ball. I do not,” said Evason, not biting when asked if this means Gustavsson — 11-1-5 in his past 17 starts after making 39 saves against the Blackhawks — starts Game 1. “The way that we’ve handled our goaltenders this year is how we’re going to continue to go forward here the rest of the way.”

That’s the second time in a week Evason insinuated we could see both goalies play in the playoffs.

Lastly, forward Oskar Sundqvist (lower body) has still not skated since getting hurt last Thursday in Pittsburgh.

(Photo: Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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