It is amazing how goaltending can change the perception of a team. Minnesota allows the second fewest shots per 60 minutes played. Yet they have allowed the seventh most goals per 60 minutes played. This has translated into an 89.4% save percentage, or the second lowest on-ice save percentage in the league. The Wild have allowed 112 goals on 1052 shots, at a league average save percentage that would be closer to 90 goals against, putting them amongst the top five defenses in the league. Even with their struggling offense that would give the Wild a +15 goal differential, ranking them with Detroit, Los Angeles and Montreal. That amounts to the difference between the Wild being last in the Central and a playoff team.

A lot has been made of the inability of the Wild to score but they rank around the middle of the league in goals. The real failings of this team have to be placed at the feet of the team's goalies. Both Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper have save percentages at or under 90%. That is more than a point and a half below the league average. Both have had long stretches this season with a save percentage under 90%. Kuemper has only had 12 quality starts in 28 games, while Backstrom has a measly three quality starts for the season. In short neither goalie is giving this Wild team much of a chance to win many games. With Harding struggling to even get healthy enough to draw an NHL start this year the Wild appear to be sinking with their leaky goaltending.

There is an opportunity here for poolies as there have recently been rumours that the Wild are interested in acquiring a goalie. Sportsnet recently reported on Jonas Enroth rumours while Cam Ward rumours have also been circulating for more than a month. Any goalie that finds himself in Minnesota would have an opportunity to put up some big numbers. Enroth's save percentage is only a half point better than Kuemper's but he faces twice as many shots in high percentage areas and about seven more shots per game overall. Ward on the other hand has a save percentage a point higher than Kuemper. Ward seems like the least likely option as the Wild claim to still have confidence in Kuemper's upside and Ward would be a roadblock for Kuemper. If the Wild acquire a goalie it will probably be a short term solution, namely a pending free agent or someone with a year left on his deal.

Devan Dubnyk

Mike Smith's brilliant personification of 'Smelly Cat' this year has given Devan Dubnyk the chance to resurrect his career. A career that looked beyond dead after Barry Trotz sent him and his bad habits packing from Nashville after only playing two games. This was after he appeared to be a quasi-starter for three years in Edmonton when he had quality starts 54% of the time. Then Dubnyk dropped off a cliff last year resulting in the aforementioned loud Barry Trotz crash. He may have landed in the perfect place though as Sean Burke has developed a reputation for his work rebuilding damaged goalies.

Dubnyk's three quality years suggest that there is reason to believe that he is capable of maintaining these numbers. No one should be shocked that the Edmonton defense these last two years may be ruining goalies. Dubnyk's turn around this year is in keeping with his Edmonton years as his .918 save percentage is the average for those seasons. While none of those seasons in Edmonton were behind anything even approaching a quality defense, this year is not all that different as the team in front of Dubnyk is giving up almost 33 shots per 60 minutes played. That being the case this is an unusually bad Coyotes team, not what the world has come to expect from a Dave Tippett coached team. With the respective track records of Tippett and Burke, Dubnyk's resurgence seems likely to last.

The down side of Dubnyk being in Arizona is that Mike Smith has a huge contract on a team with little money. That means Mike Smith will not be easily unseated even as he struggles to keep his save percentage above 88%. That combination is going to make it really tough for Dubnyk to get a regular hold on the starting job in Arizona. Keep an eye on the ownership situation though as newly approved owner Andrew Barroway may loosen the purse strings allowing for a Mike Smith buy out or a salary eating Smith trade. Dubnyk does only have a one year contract so he is in no way tied long term to Arizona but there are not a lot of openings for starters around the league.