Devan Dubnyk Proving Capable of Carrying Wild on Deep Run After Stellar Game 5

We’ve seen what happens when Devan Dubnyk has an off night.

The Minnesota Wild goaltender was lit up for six goals this week in Game 4 of the Western Conference showdown against the St. Louis Blues.

Those nights, however, have been rare this season.

We’ve also seen what Dubnyk has meant to the Wild since joining a floundering team eight points outside of the playoff race midway through the NHL season.

To say he single-handedly pushed them into the postseason would be unfair to a roster that boasts more depth up front than a number of other teams still playing, and an underrated defensive group led by one of the best in the league in Ryan Suter. But there’s a reason the league’s general managers voted Dubnyk in as one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, announced by the NHL on Friday.

He is the key to the Wild making a deep run in the 2015 playoffs.

The confidence the team has displayed playing in front of him has been season-saving. The players know he will quickly bounce back from any poor outing. In fact, the team is 12-1-2 after Dubnyk losses this year.

Since being snatched away from the Arizona Coyotes in mid-January, Dubnyk went 27-9-2 for the Wild, with a .936 save percentage and 1.78 goals-against average while wearing their colors.

So on the same day the Vezina nod was announced, it should be no surprise he was the biggest reason—outside of the actual goalscorers—the Wild were able to blow up the Blues 4-1 in Game 5. It gave the wild-card club a chance to return to home ice this weekend and upset one of the league’s best teams in the first round.

Wes Walz of Fox Sports North had this to say:

Dubnyk was in fine form, slamming the door time after time following another Vladimir Tarasenko goal in the first period.

Tarasenko threatened again later, but Dubnyk wasn’t having it.

A pair of incredible stops on Alexander Steen will haunt the Blues veteran for at least another day or two, if not longer.

On the first, Steen deked around defenseman Marco Scandella and ripped a shot labeled for the far side. Dubnyk closed the gap between his right pad and blocker, and the puck harmlessly bounced away.

Steen later had a chance to avenge the missed opportunity when he collected the puck in perfect scoring position with Dubnyk apparently down and out during a scramble. Steen had to be patient and launched the puck high to make sure it got over the netminder. But a perfectly timed desperation kick made sure Steen left the rink robbed and Dubnyk a savior.

Michael Russo of the (Minnesota) Star Tribune quotes Dubnyk:

That one, Wild sniper Zach Parise told Russo, was “a gamechanger.”

It might have been a series-changer.

“Their goaltender played very well tonight, made some key, key saves,” Blues forward Steve Ott told reporters after the game, as seen on the Blues' website. “He was very good tonight. We’ve got to find a way to solve him Sunday afternoon.”

If they can't, there’s no limit to how far the Wild will go.

The Blues finished the regular season with 109 points—the same as the Western Conference’s top-seeded Anaheim Ducks, who had more wins in regulation as the tiebreaker in the standings.

One of the deepest clubs in the entire NHL, the Blues have been frustrated repeatedly by Dubnyk, who has allowed a total of three goals against in his three wins in this series.

Teams are getting used to that.

The league’s GMs echoed it with their votes.

Steve Macfarlane has covered the NHL for more than a decade, including seven seasons following the Calgary Flames for the Calgary Sun. Follow him on Twitter, @macfarlaneHKY