The Colorado Avalanche have played three games against the Minnesota Wild during the 2014-15 season. Maybe one of these days they’ll even score a goal against them.
This time around, it was Devan Dubnyk shutting the door on the Avs, as Minnesota won 1-0 on Saturday.
Actually, come to think of it ... Dubnyk’s been excellent at blanking opponents since putting on a Wild uniform. He’s now on a two-game shutout streak and has generated three goose eggs in the past four games. He also has four shutouts in his nine Wild games.
Shutouts aren’t the only way Dubnyk has been impressive, as he’s won five games in a row, only allowing three goals in that span. He’s generated a standings point in all but one start for the Wild.
Here’s a little more on his dominant run, via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Michael Russo:
Devan Dubnyk with #mnwild: 7-1, 1.30 goals-against average, .948 save percentage, 4 shutouts in 9 starts. 3 goals in 5 games since break
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 8, 2015
Apparently, he’s even making a little history:
Per Elias: @mnwild Dubnyk (9 GP) is fastest to post 4 shutouts w/ a club among goalies who debuted in NHL's expansion era (1967-68 or later)
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 8, 2015
Of course, there’s the flip side of that coin: the Avalanche are really struggling to score. While failing to net a single goal in three games against Minnesota is bad enough, NHL.com’s Rick Sadowski points out that the problems go deeper than just a tough matchup:
#Avs get shut out again 1-0, 6 periods in a row, blanked eight times this year, no goals 3 gms vs #Wild #Avalanche
— Rick Sadowski (@RickS7) February 8, 2015
Considering where the NHL standings sit, this disparity could very well be the difference between a playoff berth. That said, Minnesota might need some more Dubnyk magic to get all the way, as they still find themselves looking up at the West’s wild card teams.