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After nearly being a healthy scratch, Matt Dumba has found his game

Minnesota Wild v Los Angeles Kings

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Matt Dumba #24 of the Minnesota Wild lines up for a faceoff against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on October 16, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

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Wild defenseman Matt Dumba was supposed to be a healthy scratch in last Thursday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that never happened.

He ended up playing in that game because Marco Scandella (illness) couldn’t suit up.

Going into that tilt, Dumba had one goal and a minus-2 rating in three contests and just hadn’t been playing well enough in head coach Bruce Boudreau’s eyes.

Since the near scratching, Dumba has turned things around significantly. Boudreau has trusted him to take injured defenseman Jared Spurgeon’s spot on the top pairing with Ryan Suter and that has resulted in a serious boost in ice time (he’s played 23, 26 and 26 minutes in the last three games).
“I didn’t like it,” said the 22-year-old, per the Minneapolis StarTribune. “I took it in a way that if I got back in the lineup I was never going to let that happen again. That’s the kind of motivation that I have. Just pride as a player. I hold myself to a higher standard.”

Dumba, who was the seventh overall pick in 2012, has contributed at the NHL level over the last couple of seasons, but he’s yet to take that next step as a big-minute, top pairing defenseman. Maybe his new head coach will be the one to get the most out of him.