Dubnyk reflects on wild year after leading Minnesota to first 3-2 series advantage
Perseverance is paying off for Devan Dubnyk.
At the end of a day that saw him lead the Minnesota Wild to a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues and be named as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, Dubnyk reflected on the wild ride he's been on over the course of the past two seasons.
Dubnyk: "A year ago today, I was on the C squad in Montreal." #mnwild #canadiens
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 25, 2015
That was indeed a low point for Dubnyk, who began the 2013-14 season as the number one goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers before being traded to the Nashville Predators and then to the Montreal Canadiens, where he was further jettisoned to the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs last spring.
Dubnyk, however, found new life in the desert, playing well enough for the Arizona Coyotes earlier this season to warrant a look from the goaltending starved Wild, with whom he's posted the best numbers of his career and earned a nod as one of the league's top three.
And with Friday's Game 5 win over the Blues, Dubnyk backstopped the Wild to their first 3-2 series lead in franchise history.
The @mnwild will take a series lead into an elimination game for the first time in franchise history... #STLvsMIN pic.twitter.com/csa5iZ2H5j
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 25, 2015
Overall, Dubnyk's playoff numbers haven't been great, allowing 12 goals through five games and posting a .898 save percentage, well down from the .936 in 39 regular season games with the Wild.
It's the wins that matter most in the playoffs, however, and Dubnyk's 36-save performance in Game 5 has given the Wild the advantage heading into an elimination game for the first time ever - bringing them one step closer to the final frontier.