When discussing top goalies, it’s tempting to stop at goalies like Carey Price, but don’t sleep on Devan Dubnyk. The same could be said for including the Minnesota Wild among the NHL’s hottest teams.
(It turns out you can be red-hot even if you’re NOT in the Metropolitan Division. Who knew?)
In beating the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Thursday, the Wild rattled off their sixth consecutive win and seem to keep collecting points (only failing to do so once in their last 13).
Dubnyk, meanwhile, is on a career-best 8-0-2 run, as the Star Tribune’s Michael Russo points out.
You may look at that 5-2 score and believe that it was a blowout, but that final score is deceptive thanks to two empty-netters by the Wild. Minnesota was actually up 3-1 at the end of the first period and leaned pretty heavily upon Dubnyk, who only allowed one more Predators goal.
Beating the Predators in a game where Nashville carried much of the play holds extra meaning for Dubnyk, as some of the darkest days of his NHL career came during his very brief time in that country music hotbed.
Dubnyk joked that it's good to show Nashville that he's not a bad goalie. Tough time in his career when he played for Preds #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 16, 2016
Let’s face it, at this point, any team doubting Dubnyk simply isn’t paying much attention.