Final
Wild seek to stay in win column vs. Blue Jackets
Jan 19, 2015 - 3:51 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Wild will try to extend their longest winning streak in two months on Monday night in a home matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets.The Wild have won consecutive games for the first time since a four-game run from Nov. 13-20, with both victories coming with Devan Dubnyk in net. Minnesota picked up the goaltender from the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday for a 2015 third-round pick, with Dubnyk posting an 18-save shutout in his debut the following day to lead a 7-0 rout of Buffalo.
Dubnyk then got a chance to face his former Coyotes club on Saturday and was solid again with 25 saves for a 3-1 win. He was also credited with an assist on Jason Zucker's game-winning goal.
"He plays with a lot of composure back there," Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo said of Dubnyk. "Certainly some pretty big saves to keep the lead."
Dubnyk may get a third start in a row tonight and is a solid 7-3-2 in his career versus the Blue Jackets with a 2.13 goals against average, .928 save percentage and two shutouts.
Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise also scored versus the Coyotes for the Wild, who had lost six in a row before picking up consecutive wins.
Minnesota will play its next four on the road after tonight, including a stop in Detroit on Tuesday. The Wild will then play three straight in Western Canada after this weekend's All-Star break.
Defenseman Ryan Suter is eligible to return to the lineup tonight for the start of this road trip after serving a two-game suspension for an elbow to the head he delivered against Pittsburgh last Tuesday.
Columbus is looking for its own second straight victory, having snapped a four-game slide with Saturday's 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
Matt Calvert played the hero with a pair of goals in the game's final 3:03, shaking off a pregame stomach virus as well as a high shot late in the second period.
"I thought the hit he took in the second period was a shot right to his head," Columbus coach Todd Richards said of Calvert. "So he recovered from that, the illness too. But again, he's skating. Skating, getting up and down the ice, rewarded at the end with two goals. That's what you want to see from the guys that are working."
Cam Atkinson had an assist for his first point in 12 games, while Ryan Johansen scored in the first period to extend his point streak to 13 straight games. Johansen has logged eight goals and 16 points over the league's longest active run.
Curtis McElhinney contributed 34 saves in giving Sergei Bobrovsky the night off. Bobrovsky is likely to start tonight and is 4-1-0 in five starts versus the Wild with a 1.55 GAA and .944 save percentage.
Johansen scored and Bobrovsky made 28 saves in a 3-1 home victory over the Wild on Dec. 31, the Blue Jackets' fourth straight victory in this series.
Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper, currently out with an undisclosed injury, made 23 saves on 25 shots faced.
- COLUMBUS: 3
MINNESOTA: 1
Final
Jan 19 10:34 PM - COLUMBUS: 3
MINNESOTA: 1
End of Regulation
Jan 19 10:34 PM - COLUMBUS: 1
MINNESOTA: 1
End of 1st
Jan 19 9:37 PM - COLUMBUS: 1
MINNESOTA: 1
End of 1st
Jan 19 8:43 PM - COLUMBUS: 0
MINNESOTA: 0
1st Period - 19:54
Jan 19 8:08 PM
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