Dubnyk tried lifting Subban's spirits after 2nd disastrous NHL start

The goaltenders' union blurs allegiances.

After Boston Bruins prospect Malcolm Subban's second career start mirrored his disastrous first, his counterpart that night, Minnesota Wild netminder Devan Dubnyk, sought him out afterwards to lend support.

"I know what that feels like," Dubnyk told Dan Myers of Wild.com. "It just feels like the world is going to end. It's hard to describe, but it's not a good feeling. It's something that I've experienced."

The pat on the back came after Subban allowed three goals on 16 shots in his first appearance in an NHL crease since allowing three goals on six shots in his debut last season versus the St. Louis Blues.

And when they met, Dubnyk didn't offer perspective from 200 feet. Rather, he provided encouragement through recounting his nightmarish beginnings in the NHL when he broke in with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2009.

"I gave him the rundown of the start to my career, which was a whole lot worse than his start," Dubnyk said. "Not that it would make him feel better, but more to just let him know that he has a long career ahead of him and to keep working. It probably didn't help. But I've been through that exact same situation at the start of my career and it wasn't fun.

"It seems like that is going to be such a big deal, but at the end of the day, it's two half games. Those two games, as much as they feel (bad) right now, they're going to be such a small blip in his career. It'll be a story to tell. Maybe he can talk to somebody one day, too."

He's right: Dubnyk allowed 14 goals on 79 shots in his first three starts, and didn't win his first game until his 14th appearance.

Last summer, Dubnyk signed $26-million contract.