Dubnyk Posts 3rd shutout In a Row as Wild Shuts The Door on Dallas, 4-0

As part of basic training in the United States Marine Corps, recruits go through a 54-hour ordeal called ‘the Crucible’ which is designed to test their training, stamina, competency and character.  While not nearly as dire as the USMC ‘Crucible’ is, the Wild are going to have their own big test as the Dallas Stars come to town.  The Stars dominated the Wild last season, including the playoffs as they eliminated Minnesota in 6 games.  So if the Wild wish to show they indeed have improved from a season ago this is their first chance to do so.

This isn’t the ACT or the SAT, it is a pass of fail type of test.  Dallas hasn’t just tore up the league this season, and the opportunity exists to get some more separation from the Stars in the Central Conference standings.  Can the Wild pass the test?

1st Period Thoughts:  The Wild were patient and waiting for their opportunity to press the attack.  Whether it was on the man advantage or at even strength there was a poise that we haven’t seen from this team in a really long time.  The Wild were doing what they could to stay defensively responsible and Devan Dubnyk was a rock between the pipes.  An early power play resulted in a pretty set up as Mikael Granlund threaded a cross-ice pass to Mikko Koivu who hammered a one-timer wide of the mark, but it was the type of quick puck movement that you normally don’t see.  A few minutes later, it was Jonas Brodin stepping into a slap shot after a bad turnover by Dallas in its own zone that was nearly jammed home by Eric Staal.  Even on the penalty kill the Wild seemed poised to strike; and a turnover near the blueline turned into a 2-on-2 rush and it was Koivu making a nice drag and pull move around John Klingberg before giving a pass to Granlund who evaded the Kari Lehtonen poke check and then lifting it into the yawning net.  1-0 Wild on Granlund’s shorthanded tally.  The Wild penalty kill continued to be strong, being aggressive on the Dallas puck carriers and forcing turnovers and working the puck efficiently out of the zone.  Christian Folin was especially good at using his body to separate Stars forwards from the puck and then making a quick pass.  Minnesota would get the big kill and then patiently sit back, waiting for another Dallas error to exploit.  A few minutes later it was Jason Pominville winning a battle for the puck along the boards and it was Granlund sweeping up the biscuit and centering a pass to Koivu who got off a quick shot that Lehtonen denied and then managed to thwart their rebound bid as well.  The Wild’s penalty kill would have another test after a ‘Too many men’ penalty but Minnesota’s timely puck pressure through the neutral zone and near the blueline forced turnovers and the Wild never really allowed Dallas to get set up at all.  Even call ups Christoph Bertschy and Tyler Graovac were finding ways to get involved to frustrate Dallas by denying time and space.  Dubnyk was doing a good job of making the initial save and Minnesota’s defenseman would tie up Dallas defenders so he could either gather up the rebound or sweep those dangerous rebounds away.  It was an excellent 1st period where Minnesota was dictating the pace of play and working well to make life miserable for a banged up Dallas squad.  Zac Dalpe had a great chance in the waning minutes of the period after a nice pass by Chris Stewart but his backhander would sail up and over the goal.  Jason Spezza would ring a shot off the post and Minnesota would carry its 1-0 lead into the 1st intermission.

2nd Period Thoughts:  The 2nd period resembled a little more rope-a-dope as Minnesota defended its lead.  It wasn’t desperate though, as it would’ve been in seasons past.  It was patient, responsible and under control.  Dubnyk was razor sharp, squaring up and looking very efficient in his movement.  Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin and Christian Folin were outstanding at assisting Dubnyk in locking down Dallas’ offense.  It was uncanny how this group would step up with a poke check, or stripping a Dallas forward of the puck to work it out of the zone in order to alleviate pressure.  Devin Shore would set up Nick Ritchie for a quick shot, but Dubnyk absorbed it with confidence.  At times it appeared Minnesota was playing with fire as Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn controlled the offensive zone but it was not yielding much in the way of quality scoring opportunities for Dallas.  Dubnyk continued to be rock solid as he stonewalled Patrick Eaves at point-blank range.  Minnesota probably had to feel as though escaped a little by still holding onto their 1-0 lead.

3rd Period Thoughts:  In the 3rd period the Wild were just holding onto their 1-goal lead.  Minnesota seemed to show more resolve to create offense and not simply spend the period circling the wagons around Dubnyk.  The Wild would get a huge insurance goal early in the period as Charlie Coyle carried the puck deep into the Dallas zone and patiently waited for support as at least two Stars’ defenders shadowed him before he sent a quick pass to Nino Niederreiter who one-timed a shot by Lehtonen.  2-0 Wild and a much-needed cushion to the game.  Minnesota continued to exhibit a high-level of calm as Dallas tried to counter attack but the Wild’s defense did a great job of shutting down the Stars as Folin and Suter especially was able to get sticks into passing lanes and then working it quickly out of the zone.  The result was Dubnyk rarely had to face more than one shot for anytime Dallas entered their zone.  Minnesota would add another goal as they’d make Dallas pay on the man advantage.  After some good puck movement, Suter would set up Eric Staal for a one-timer that he blasted by Lehtonen.  3-0 Wild.  The Wild continued to outwork and outhustle Dallas as the 4th line would cash in just under 3 minutes later as after an initial hold of the zone by Granlund who played a puck while being on his knees to send a pass over to Ryan Suter who then sent a pass down to Jason Zucker who then centered a pass out front to Tyler Graovac who tapped it home.  4-0 Wild, as Graovac scored his first NHL goal earning him a standing ovation in the process.  The Stars tried to pour it on in the closing minutes but Dubnyk and Minnesota’s defense rallied around their goaltender to give its goalie and Minnesota its 3rd shutout victory in a row.

What more can you really say about Devan Dubnyk at this point.  He currently has a shutout streak that is at 180 minutes and counting, the longest in franchise history as he posted his 3rd in a row after making 29 saves in the victory.  Dubnyk did so with some outstanding support from his defense which as a group have been really impressive.  Christian Folin is looking like a polished veteran, being physical and sealing off opposing forwards efficiently and effectively.  With Marco Scandella still out of the lineup, that kind of play is giant to a team that is normally a bit soft.  Ryan Suter also was looking like a Norris Trophy-worthy defenseman as he was a big part of the breakout and keeping Dallas at bey.  The penalty kill was a perfect 3-for-3.

Offensively, it started out slow but it was about quality rather than quantity.  Minnesota found ways to generate some quick shots which is what finally solved Kari Lehtonen.  The depth of Minnesota’s attack is evident when you consider Jason Zucker has 7 points while playing on the 4th line almost exclusively.  Christoph Bertschy and Tyler Graovac looked hungry and dialed in and that only helped Minnesota weather the loss of Zach Parise due to a lower body injury.  Suter continues to be an offensive catalyst as he is off to a scorching start to the season.

Minnesota passed its first big test with flying colors as they downed a decent Dallas squad.  It wasn’t run and gun hockey, but Minnesota appeared calm and under control as they stymied the Stars’ offense.  Last season the Wild looked jittery and while they had close games they appeared to be just clinging on as opposed to dictating the pace of play.  That is the sign of a team playing with confidence in its game and it was the little plays to work the puck out of the zone that denied Dallas from ever generating the flow and cohesion they thrive with.  The injuries to Zac Dalpe, Parise, Scandella and Haula are tough, but so far the depth has been up to the task.  Perhaps we should expect this instead of being surprised, either way I’ll take it.

Wild Notes:

~ The Wild roster was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund, Eric Staal, Charlie Coyle, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jason Pominville, Nino Niederreiter, Zac Dalpe, Chris Stewart, Jason Zucker, Tyler Graovac, Christoph Bertschy, Ryan Suter, Mathew Dumba, Jonas Brodin, Christian Folin, Jared Spurgeon and Nate Prosser.  Darcy Kuemper backed up Devan Dubnyk.  Erik Haula, Zach Parise and Marco Scandella were scratches.

~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Devan Dubnyk, 2nd Star Mikael Granlund, 3rd Star Tyler Graovac

~ Attendance was 19,031 at Xcel Energy Center.

Iowa Wild Report:

Iowa 6, Milwaukee 1

After the Iowa Wild have been on the losing end of some very one-sided games as of late, on Friday they’d flip the script against their regional nemesis the Milwaukee Admirals.  Despite being outshot 37-31, it was Iowa lighting the lamp 6 times against the Admirals as they rolled to a 6-1 victory in front of 5,510 fans at Des Moines’ Wells Fargo Arena.  Tyler Graovac and Jordan Schroeder each scored twice and they got additional tallies from Colton Beck and Christoph Bertschy.  Milwaukee’s Jonas Gunnarsson was the unlucky goaltender giving up all 6 Wild goals, and Stephen Michalek had 36 saves in the win.  Mike Reilly earned 3rd star honors with a 3-assist game.

Wild Prospect Report:

C – Luke Kunin (Wisconsin, Big 10) ~ The club’s 1st round selection from 2016 had a nice night for the Badgers as he scored twice as Wisconsin rolled to a 5-2 win over St. Lawrence.  He then followed it up with a goal and two helpers against Clarkson on Saturday.  Kunin has 4 goals, 7 points, 6 PIM’s and is a -4 in 6 games.

D – Jack Sadek (Minnesota, Big 10) ~ The former Lakeville North star had an assist on the Gophers game-tying goal on Friday night as Minnesota rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Clarkson 4-3 in overtime.  He contributed an assist in Minnesota’s 2-2 tie on Saturday to St. Lawrence.  Sadek has 3 points, 2 PIM’s and is a +7 in 5 games.

D – Carson Soucy (Minnesota-Duluth, NCHC) ~ It was an exciting night at Duluth’s Amsoil Arena, as the Bulldogs faced rival and defending national champion North Dakota on Friday.  The big Irma, Alberta-native showcased his mobility in carrying the puck up the ice with great poise and was rewarded with two helpers as UMD won 5-2.  His solid weekend continued the next evening as he scored his first goal of the season as the Bulldogs earned the series sweep with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.  Soucy has 4 points, 14 PIM’s and is a +3 in 7 games.

D – Gustav Bouramman (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL) ~ The Greyhounds earned a dramatic 4-3 win over arch-rival London on Friday and the Swedish blueliner was a big part of it netting a goal and an assist and 5 shots on goal in the victory.  The Stockholm, Sweden-native has 1 goal, 6 points, 6 PIM’s and is a -3 in 13 games.

C – Dmitri Sokolov (Sudbury, OHL) ~ The Russian sniper can only be held off the scoresheet for so long as he lit the lamp in Sudbury’s 4-1 win over Barrie on Saturday.  Sokolov has 10 goals, 12 points, 2 PIM’s and is a +1 in 11 games.