Dubnyk tries to move on from team's blowout loss

ST. LOUIS – Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk had no trouble falling asleep after allowing a franchise-record six goals in a playoff game Wednesday night.
It was when he woke up Thursday morning that he took a moment to reflect and comprehend that yes, indeed, the Wild did lose Game 4 of their playoff series to the St. Louis Blues 6-1 on home ice Wednesday.
“That’s when you realize it wasn’t a bad dream,” Dubnyk said.
After lifting the Wild from the abyss to a third straight postseason berth with MVP-worthy play since Jan. 14, Dubnyk is now tasked with something he hasn’t been faced with since the Wild traded for him three months ago – moving on from a bad game.
Perhaps overshadowed by the Wild’s incredible record the final three months of the season was the fact that they were never blown out during that stretch.
During a regular-season climb up the standings that began with the acquisition of Dubnyk, the Wild never lost a game by more than two goals.
Now after losing by five goals in Wednesday’s debacle at the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild must quickly move on from the embarrassment, something they insist won’t be difficult.
“It’s not the first time I’ve given up six goals and probably not the last,” Dubnyk said. “I know how to handle it. We’re in the same situation we would be in if we lost 1-0 in triple overtime.”
The Wild’s situation is a 2-2 tie in the best-of-7 opening-round playoff series, and a loss in Game 5 tonight would leave them trailing in the series for the first time.
Most worrisome for the Wild are the first cracks that have appeared in Dubnyk’s game in his 13 weeks with the team.
Granted, it’s a small sample size skewed by the Game 4 blowout. But Dubnyk has a 3.06 goals-against average and .864 save percentage in the playoffs compared to a 1.78 GAA and .936 save percentage in 39 regular-season games with the Wild.
“I know we want to talk about Devan, but we were no good in front of him,” coach Mike Yeo said. “So it’s a different story.”
Certainly, the remarkable defense the Wild played in their dominating 3-0 win in Game 3 was nowhere to be seen in Game 4. A team that prides itself on playing with a strong defensive structure was a mess in its own zone.
“We were really off,” Yeo admitted. “We were in between on everything and very reactive. We watched them play a very good game, and that’s a pretty dangerous combination.”
During the Wild’s great run the final three months, they played a handful of sloppy games, something not unexpected over the course of an 82-game season. But during those regular-season games, Dubnyk usually bailed them out, like the night in March when the Wild were outshot 42-19 by the Blues and still won 3-1 thanks to their goalie.
Because of his superb play in games like those, the Wild don’t know how Dubnyk will respond to a clunker because they had never seen a spotty performance from their goalie until Wednesday.
“He has had some tough losses that you have to bounce back from,” Yeo countered. “If you lose the game in double OT, or you lose the game the way he did (Wednesday) night, the emotions are the same and the result is the same. So it doesn’t really matter. I know it’s frustrating, I know it’s really a disappointing performance, especially on home ice.”
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