NHL Takeaways: Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk makes case as NHL’s best goalie

Minnesota head coach Bruce Boudreau said recently that Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk would outshine even Carey Price if he played in a market like Toronto.

Boudreau has a point.

There’s a case to be made that Dubnyk, a Regina native, deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Montreal’s Price and the great goalies of today’s game. Since he joined the Wild almost two years ago, the 30-year-old ranks first among all NHL goalies with a .929 save percentage, first with a 2.03 goals-against average and first with 14 shutouts (min. 100 starts).

He’s leading the league (or tied) in all three categories through two months this season.

Dubnyk has been consistent too. He had a .952 save percentage in October, a .942 mark in November and is .948 so far in December. He hasn’t given up more than three goals in any game this season, yielding one or fewer in 10 of 24 starts.

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The former Oilers first-rounder didn’t suddenly become a top-end goaltender when he landed in Minnesota. He’s benefiting from a much stingier outfit than the one he left behind in Edmonton. The Wild are surrendering the fewest high-danger scoring chances per-60 minutes at even-strength in the NHL this season.

PANTHER SPECIAL TEAMS

Panthers general manager (and now head coach) Tom Rowe pointed to special teams as an area of needed improvement following the surprise firing of coach Gerard Gallant late last month.

How’s that gone so far?

Power play before firing: 14.6 per cent (11 of 75)

Since: 15 per cent (five of 33)

Penalty kill before firing: 81 per cent (52 of 64)

Since: 95 per cent (34 of 36)

DESERT DRY SPELL

Despite coming on a bit recently, the Arizona Coyotes’ first season under 27-year-old general manager John Chayka has ultimately been a disappointment so far.

Why?

Youth is one of the challenges with several young players appearing unprepared for the NHL.

A revelation with 20 goals and 44 points last year, Anthony Duclair has slumped with one goal and four points. Christian Dvorak, second in OHL scoring last year, has nine points in 27 games as a 20-year-old rookie. Lawson Crouse, the 11th overall pick in 2015, has recorded three points. Former third overall pick Dylan Strome, meanwhile, posted a single assist in seven games before he was returned to junior.

The Coyotes are also employing 18-year-old defenceman Jakob Chychrun and have added 20-year-old first-rounder Brendan Perlini in recent weeks.

Beyond being too young, free-agent additions like Alex Goligoski (42.6 per cent possession), Luke Schenn (44 per cent), and Jamie McGinn (42.9 per cent) haven’t been effective. Add in a month-long absence by No. 1 goalie Mike Smith (lower-body) earlier this season and the Coyotes are on track to miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

DUCKS UNDER CARLYLE

After another post-season disappointment last spring, the Ducks opted to change the voice behind the bench, replacing Boudreau with Randy Carlyle. Outside of a slight increase in offence, Anaheim has fallen off in most key categories so far this season.

NHL ranks (prior to Monday’s game):

Goals per-game: 12th (17th last season)

Goals against per-game: 17th (1st)

Power play: 2nd (1st)

Penalty kill: 17th (1st)

Puck possession: 17th (2nd)

CALDER CANDIDATE

While he helped the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup last spring, Matt Murray is technically still a rookie, having appeared in only 14 regular-season games before his stunning post-season run in the Pittsburgh net. The 22-year-old is therefore eligible and perhaps deserving of consideration for the Calder trophy.

Murray is 12-2-1 with a 1.84 goals-against average and sizzling .938 save percentage through 16 games this season.

Steve Mason, then of the Columbus Blue Jackets, was the last goalie to win the Calder (2009). He was only the third netminder since Martin Brodeur in 1994 to capture the award, joining Andrew Raycroft (2004) and Evgeni Nabakov (2001).

A POTENT DECEMBER

Another Penguin on the rise this month: former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Justin Schultz.

The 26-year-old has four goals and 12 points in December, the latter the best mark of any NHL defender. He’s also tops among Penguins defenders with a 53.9 puck possession mark, his role growing in recent days with Kris Letang and Trevor Daley both sidelined.

COACHING LEADERS

John Tortorella joined the 500-win club Sunday night when the Blue Jackets matched a franchise record with their ninth straight win. Only 10 active coaches have more career victories:

1. Joel Quenneville (823) 2. Ken Hitchcock (774) 3. Lindy Ruff (715) 4. Barry Trotz (677) 5. Darryl Sutter (611) 6. Alain Vigneault (589) 7. Paul Maurice (571) 8. Mike Babcock (568) 9. Dave Tippett (534) 10. Claude Julien (529)

ROOKIES IN THE ‘PEG

He doesn’t have Patrik Laine’s sizzle, but 21-year-old Josh Morrissey has been a helpful contributor to the Jets’ cause. 

The former first-round pick (13th overall in 2013) has played alongside Dustin Byfuglien on Winnipeg’s top pair all year long, fourth among all NHL rookies with nearly 18 minutes of even-strength ice per-game. An easy skater and puck-mover, Morrissey has been effective, first among Jets’ defenders (minimum 20 games) in puck possession.

— All stats prior to Monday’s games

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Jonas Siegel, The Canadian Press