Devan Dubnyk hasn't been sharp in net lately

Competitive and dependable.

That's how to describe the goaltending the Wild has received for much of the season, and No.1 Devan Dubnyk has been the poster boy for that steadiness.

But Dubnyk's past three appearances have been oddities, a bizarre string of blown leads that culminated in perhaps the team's worst yet – a 4-3 collapse to the struggling Coyotes Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.

"I don't have an answer right now," Dubnyk said after his 10-save outing. "I feel like we're playing good hockey, and there's certainly no feeling in here that anything's going to happen in the third period. But obviously, we'll figure out a way to get it done. It's usually what we do."

This was Dubnyk's first game back in the lineup since he was pulled in the third period last Wednesday when the Wild hosted the Senators; he missed the Friday 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets due to illness.

sarah mclellan