Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk will be between the pipes Wednesday against the Ducks and if it’s his last start of the regular season, he won’t mind the downtime before the first round of the playoffs start next week.
“It’s fine,” Dubnyk said. “The difference between three or four days or five or six days isn’t a big deal. It’s always a little bit different than going every other day, but you go through so many times like this during the year. Just stay sharp, and that’s why you use every game during the regular season to really get that routine and so even if you’ve been off for a week, as soon as it’s the morning of the game and you start to get into things again it’s just a switch and you’re right back into it.”
Backup Alex Stalock is expected to finish off the second half of the back-to-back Thursday against the Kings, and it’s unclear at this point who the Wild will tab for the finale Saturday in San Jose. Even if he doesn’t appear in that game, it looks like Dubnyk has already discovered a rhythm heading into the postseason.
He’s coming off his fifth shutout of the season Monday against the Oilers, which was the 29th of his career. Since Nov. 9, he’s 30-9-6 with a 2.40 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.
“Ever since the L.A. game [March 19], I think Devan’s been really sharp in the net on every occasion and that’s a great sign,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “If your goalie’s your best player, then you’re usually having a lot of success.”
Projected lineup:
Zach Parise-Mikko Koivu-Mikael Granlund
Jason Zucker-Eric Staal-Nino Niederreiter
Jordan Greenway-Matt Cullen-Charlie Coyle
Marcus Foligno-Joel Eriksson Ek-Daniel Winnik
Jonas Brodin-Matt Dumba
Nick Seeler-Ryan Murphy
Carson Soucy-Nate Prosser
Devan Dubnyk
Key numbers:
6-6: The Wild’s record in its last 12 games in Anaheim.
5: Goals for winger Zach Parise in his past three games.
9: Points for Parise in his last seven games.
57: Penalty kills for the Ducks the last 63 times they’ve been shorthanded.
7: Points for captain Ryan Getzlaf in his last seven games.
About the Ducks:
The Ducks are currently in a playoff positioning, holding onto the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 95 points. They’ve gone 7-1-1 in their last nine and are 14-5-2 in their past 21. Anaheim has won five straight at home and eight of the past nine. Center Adam Henrique has 10 points during a seven-game point streak. Winger Corey Perry has 38 points in 43 career games against the Wild.
