The Minnesota Wild did not play a full 60 minutes on Sunday but it sounds like their top stars are still feeling pretty good about their current situation overall.
The Wild were facing off against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday and although any division match up is always of great importance for teams around the National Hockey League, the Wild's match up against the Blues carry a special significance. Not only have the two organizations established a significant rivalry over the past several seasons, but with former Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo leading the Blues as their current head coach you just know both teams are gunning for one another.
This particular Sunday match up against the Blues however was likely one that the Wild had some difficulty getting motivated for due to the fact that it was the 7th game of an absolutely brutal 7 game road trip for the Wild, a road trip that began all the way back in October. In spite of that the Wild were able to walk away with a 3 - 2 victory over the Blues thanks in large part to yet another solid performance from star goaltender Devan Dubnyk. Dubnyk was outstanding throughout the game stopping 29 of the 31 shots the St. Louis Blues put on goal for a very solid .935 save percentage over the full 60 minutes. It was in the final moments of the game however that Dubnyk truly shined however, with his team entirely out of gas, they generated just a single shot after Mikael Granlund's eventual game winner, Dubnyk held down the fort and fended off a late surge from the Blues to send the Wild back home with the "W" in the final game of their road trip.
After the game Dubnyk himself acknowledged that the team's massive road schedule had taken a toll on the team after 7 consecutive away games.
“Yah, we’re ready to get home,” said Dubnyk.
In spite of what had to be an exhausting and difficult victory, Wild star forward Zach Parise was very positive after the win, indicating that the team's forward momentum was in a terrific place at the moment.
“the camaraderie is at a really good level right now. We’re all happy seeing each other succeed. You can see it,” said Parise.
The Wild are now headed back home with all the possible momentum they could hope for.
[pub]
