You know what helps a hot streak get a little extra attention? Pushing those consecutive wins into the double digits.
Last night, we noted that Devan Dubnyk and the Minnesota Wild were quietly red-hot, with the team on a nine-game winning streak. They’d been shutting teams down, for the most part, during that run.
A day later, the wins keep coming, but their 7-4 victory against the New York Rangers was a little different.
For one thing, it was Darcy Kuemper in net instead of Dubnyk. Kuemper’s been able to keep things fairly seamless for the Wild, aside from the occasional brain fart.
The Wild are really gaining on the first-place Chicago Blackhawks for the Central Division lead. To some extent, they’re already more impressive, managing a +36 goal differential (Chicago’s at +17).
It’s been an impressive run, one that couldn’t be derailed by a back-to-back set ending against a quality team like the Rangers.
With four of their next six and six of their next nine games on the road, there are some challenges ahead. If they keep things going despite those potential bumps in the road, they’ll deserve even more attention.