Topping the Calgary Flames 1-0 wasn’t just a big win for the Minnesota Wild. It also stood as a significant night for hopeful starting goalie Devan Dubnyk.
With Darcy Kuemper nearing game-readiness, Dubnyk needed to make a statement in a very important game against fellow bubble contender Calgary. Make no mistake about it: Dubnyk advanced his cause tonight.
He stopped all 30 Flames shots for a shutout, improving his record to 4-0-1 as a member of the Wild. The 28-year-old has been excellent all season long stretching back to his abbreviated time with the Arizona Coyotes.
One of Dubnyk’s best saves came against Paul Byron:
Wild head coach Mike Yeo seemed impressed:
Yeo on Dubnyk: "He earned that shutout tonight." #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 30, 2015
Kuemper actually played himself tonight, only it was in a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. It did not go anywhere near as well for the 24-year-old, as he only made it through two periods as his short-term team lost 6-0 against the Grand Rapids Griffins.
One night doesn’t make things for Dubnyk and doesn’t break things for Kuemper, but the bottom line is that Dubnyk is doing what he can to carve out his own spot in the Wild’s almost-perpetually complicated netminding situation.