1. Devan Dubnyk was doing Devan Dubnyk things all night long.
Minnesota was stingy in the first period, allowing just six Dallas shots and not surrendering even a shot on goal until the 11 1/2 minute mark of the frame.
But in the second period, Dubnyk was the only reason the Wild was able to keep it close.
The Stars peppered the Wild net with 24(!) shots on goal, several of them what coach Bruce Boudreau likes to call 10-bell chances, and Dubnyk stopped every single one of them.
Early in the period, Dubnyk wiped away a great chance by Tyler Seguin with the right pad. Then it was Roman Polak who was stopped. And Jamie Benn. Then, during a power play, he made three consecutive saves, including one on Seguin once again, keeping the game scoreless.
But he saved his best for late in the period when Dallas approached the Wild net 2-on-1. Devin Shore set up Mattias Janmark for what should have been a layup, but Dubnyk sprawled to somehow make a right pad save on him as well.
2. Perhaps it was fitting then that the only goal to beat Dubnyk took an incredible individual effort.
Less than a minute into the third period, Miro Heiskanen's point shot looked like it was headed about three feet wide of the net. Jason Spezza, camped out front, stuck his stick blade straight out and deflected it over the shoulder of Dubnyk for his first goal of the season, breaking the scoreless tie 36 seconds into the frame.
3. Fortunately for Dubnyk, his teammates picked him up after that.
First, it was Matt Dumba tying the game, scooping up a loose puck in front of Ben Bishop that had ping-ponged off traffic in front of the Stars net. With Bishop out of position, Dumba had a wide open cage to score into.
