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So...is the Oilers goaltending panic over?

Devan Dubnyk

In case you missed it, Devan Dubnyk was named the second star of the game Saturday after stopping 35 of 36 Ottawa shots in a 3-1 Oilers victory.

The performance was Dubnyk’s second straight good one; on Thursday, he stopped 37 of 40 in a 3-2 loss to the Islanders.

Dubnyk’s numbers are still pretty ugly (4.20 GAA, .877 SV%), but they’ve improved dramatically with his past two performances. The tall 27-year-old is expected to start again tomorrow versus Montreal.

“It hasn’t been an easy start and it was nice the last two games just to relax and go play hockey and know that I can be ready for these guys,” said Dubnyk, per the Canadian Press.

All players go through tough stretches. The difference is, when goalies do it, it’s really noticeable. Remember that Dubnyk had solid numbers last season, with a .920 save percentage in 37 starts.

Now, the Oilers could still make a move. After all, Dubnyk was hardly a Vezina Trophy favorite heading into the season; his poor start only led to more questions about his ability. But general manager Craig MacTavish would certainly prefer not to deal from a position of desperation if he’s going to bring in a guy to push his starter more than backup Jason LaBarbera has been able to do.