Wild notes: Dubnyk recalls best games after he struggles

One of the most impressive feats by the Wild is the fact the team has gone 47 consecutive games in the Devan Dubnyk era without consecutive regulation losses.

After getting pummeled in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Blues, the Wild and its workmanlike goalie proved yet again Friday night in the Game 5 victory at St. Louis that they have a knack for the bounce back.

"We've kind of been forced into that situation," coach Mike Yeo said. "We probably don't make the playoffs if we lose back-to-back games at certain points of the year. So to be able to bounce back, it says an awful lot about [Dubnyk] the way that he came back after a very tough, very emotional, very disappointing [Game 4]. The way that he came back and performed last game is pretty special."

Dubnyk didn't hide from the fact he struggled in Wednesday's 6-1 blowout at home. He displayed self-deprecating humor, pointing out that it's not the first time he got shellacked and "fortunately" he had those past experiences to "dig out of my memory" and learn from.

He chased away any doubts by making 36 saves Friday, the second-most saves by a Wild goaltender in history in a regulation playoff victory. He said there was never one point where he felt pressure to prove himself all over again to his teammates.

"We're pretty close as a group in here and we all have a lot of confidence in each other, so that was certainly not an issue, I wasn't worried about that," Dubnyk said. "You want to get out there and just show the guys you're going to be there for them and you're not going to quit."

Dubnyk said whenever he struggles, he thinks back to a conversation earlier this season with former Coyotes teammate Shane Doan.

Yeo told Dubnyk he was a Vezina Trophy finalist before the morning skate Friday.

"But in typical Devan style, he didn't make a big deal of it," Yeo said. "I'm sure he was very happy, but he was there to get ready for a game. It's that kind of attitude which makes him an easy guy to cheer for.

"It's a great story for the league, but it's an outstanding story for him. I hope that there's a lot more to it."

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock repeated Saturday that St. Louis needs more scoring than just Vladimir Tarasenko, who has a league-leading six goals this postseason.

"He's going to have a tougher matchup and it's going to be hard for him to get loose," Hitchcock said. "Other guys are going to have to just contribute. Bottom line is guys are going to have to take responsibility and ownership to help us out there. You look at the quality chances that two or three of our key guys got [Friday] night, they were great chances and they don't go in.

With a 2 p.m. game, Hitchcock wondered aloud how much energy the Wild will have after spending the majority of the third period Friday defending.

"This is a real quick turnaround for both teams," the veteran coach said. "We'll see who has energy going [Sunday]. They had to absorb a lot in the third period. We played the third period the right way in their end; they had to absorb a lot and hopefully, we can take advantage by playing on our toes again. But we're going to get a major league push from them at the start of the game."

• Blues center Jori Lehtera, who missed Friday's game because of an undisclosed injury, skated on his own Saturday and is questionable for Sunday: "We'll see," Hitchcock said.

• The Wild will release some tickets for Game 6 Sunday. They can be purchased on ticketmaster.com or at Xcel Energy Center's box office.

• The Wild will host a free pregame party outside Gate 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tickets for the game are not required to attend the party.