Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk is one of three finalists for the 2015 Vezina Trophy. The award goes to the league’s top goaltender.
Your 3 finalists for the Vezina Trophy are:
Carey Price – MTL
Devan Dubnyk – MIN
Pekka Rinne – NSH— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) April 24, 2015
Dubnyk was nothing short of outstanding after he was acquired by the Wild in a trade with Arizona. After the All-Star break, Dubnyk was 25-8-2, with a 1.72 goals against average and a .939 save percentage in 35 games.
Here is a look at some of Dubnyk’s best stonewalling.
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Dubnyk’s journey with Minnesota has been nothing short of amazing. From the moment he arrived he sparked the Wild’s second half turnaround.
“It’s crazy to think, being a backup in Arizona to start and now I’ve got a picture on the side of the arena,” Dubnyk told reporters earlier this week.
He became the first Wild goalie to earn a shutout victory (7-0) in his debut with the team. He recorded five shutouts and started a franchise-record 38 consecutive games that ended with a playoff-clinching victory at Chicago on April 7.
In 19 road starts, Dubnyk was an incredible 15-2-1 with a 1.53 GAA and a .949 save percentage.
But Dubnyk isn’t considered the favorite to win the award. According to Pro Hockey Talk, that goes to Montreal’s Carey Price.
Price was outstanding as he led the league with 44 wins and a 1.96 GAA with a .933 save percentage.
The biggest thing standing in Dubnyk’s way from winning the award might have been his play before the trade. He was good in Arizona, but not great. In 58 games on the full season, Dubnyk finished 36-14-4 and was second with a 2.07 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
The other finalist for the award is Nashville’s Pekka Rinne. While Rinne finished second in the NHL with 41 wins, a second half slip resulted in him falling to third with a .218 GAA and seventh in save percentage at .923.
