Devan Dubnyk gets third straight shutout for Wild

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk extended his shutout streak to three games with a 4-0 win against the Dallas Stars at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.
Dubnyk made 29 saves and has made 94 in his past 180 minutes played. He passed Darcy Kuemper's Wild record of 163:46.
"It's fun," Dubnyk said. "It's definitely an accomplishment to be proud of for all of us. You don't get shutouts by yourself. You get shutouts with guys doing a lot of good stuff in front of me and allowing me to make reads, great sticks and blocks, and it all adds up, so it's something to enjoy, but most of that game tonight until the third period was one shot, so you can't be thinking too much about the shutouts."

Forward Tyler Graovac, recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Saturday, scored his first NHL goal at 12:37 of the third period to give Minnesota a 4-0 lead. He has three goals and four points in six games in the AHL this season.
"Your first NHL goal is something I've dreamed of, a short-term goal I've wanted for so long," said Graovac, who played his sixth NHL game. "I know I had a lot of family watching that game. It's not just me scoring that goal. It's my aunts, uncles, grandmother, my parents back home. It's just something very special for all of us that we can all enjoy."
Eric Staal, who turned 32 Saturday, made it 3-0 with a power-play goal at 10:54 of the third period, after Nino Niederreiter made it 2-0 at 3:08 of the third.

The Stars outshot the Wild 13-1 in the second period. Dubnyk made save after save, including on Patrick Eaves at the goalmouth at 17:26.
"For two periods we totally outworked them, we weren't in our own end," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. "I thought that part of the game our puck movement was good, a few plays from the point where we don't get pucks through that maybe hurt us. I [have to] go around and be pretty fussy if I want to pick apart those first two periods.
"[We] dominated the second period, had some pucks go off some posts. Their goaltender is seeing the puck pretty well right now. We didn't have a lot of puck luck when it came to being around the net."
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead with a shorthanded goal at 5:35 of the first period. Wild captain Mikko Koivu rushed the puck up ice and found Mikael Granlund for the put-away.

Dubnyk last allowed a goal on Oct. 22, to Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils 29 seconds into overtime of a 2-1 loss.
Dubnyk had a shutout streak of 166:49 minutes with the Edmonton Oilers from March 25-April 1, 2013.

Goal of the game

Koivu broke up the left side, pulled the puck back with a toe drag and passed to Granlund, who was breaking up the middle. He gave Minnesota the lead with his first goal of the season.

Saves of the game

Eaves tested Dubnyk at 4:18 of the first period with a shot to the chest. Jamie Benn got the rebound and attempted to slip it through, but Dubnyk made the second save.

Unsung moment of the game

Niederreiter made it 2-0 at 3:18 of the third period with a wrist shot from inside the left circle. The goal gave confidence to the previously slow Wild, who had one shot in the second period, and led to a three-goal third period.

Highlight of the game

Jason Zucker spun around with a backhand pass to Graovac, who got the one-timer past goalie Kari Lehtonen.
"It's hard not to smile in that moment," Graovac, 23, said. "Pure emotions and chills, a feeling I've never really had before. It was a lot more than just a goal for me. It was just a great accomplishment for me."

They said it

"It's obviously not the greatest time around here. But we've got to keep working hard. We can't get frustrated. We've got to stick together and work our way out of this. How we're going to do that, I guess, is sticking together and keep working hard, and try not to get frustrated." -- Stars captain Jamie Benn
"It was a long 35 seconds. Usually when it gets to a 4-0 game, you're happy with the win and if the shutout happens, great. But you don't really get nervous. That was probably the first time I started to get a little nervous toward the end of a 4-0 game. But it's fun." -- Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk

Need to know

Wild forward Zach Parise and defenseman Marco Scandella are week to week with lower-body injuries sustained against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. … Wild forward Zac Dalpe (lower body) didn't play the third period and there is no timetable for his return. … The Stars activated right wing Jiri Hudler from injured reserve and assigned center Justin Dowling to Texas of the AHL. Forward Jason Spezza (lower body) also was back in the lineup after missing two games.

What's next

Wild: Host the Sabres on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N+, MSG-B, NHL.TV)
Stars: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-SW, NHL.TV)