Dubnyk no stranger to the wear and tear Markstrom is facing
ST. PAUL, MINN. Devan Dubnyk understands the goaltending load Jacob Markstrom was shouldering. And he knows what’s at play keeping prospect Thatcher Demko sidelined with post-concussion symptoms.
As the well-established Minnesota Wild starter, the 32-year-old Dubnyk admitted to struggling with physical and mental expectations of being the go-to guy. He has also been struck when turning his head to stop a shot — much like Demko did Sept. 23 — and knows the evolution to smaller equipment and a faster, harder-shooting game is taxing.
It’s why the mental battle can overshadow proper mechanics.
Markstrom had made nine consecutive starts before Thursday, including four on the Vancouver Canucks’ current six-game road trip after winning three straight at home.
He has allowed 17 goals on 156 shots on this trip to go 1-2-1 with a 3.02 goals-against average and .865 save percentage. His 3.28 GAA after 14 games was ranked 48th and his .896 save percentage was 46th.
Markstrom got a needed break Thursday with backup Richard Bachman getting the call in a 6-2 loss to the Wild and a key for the starter is not to dwell on what went wrong. Blown leads in Detroit and Buffalo weighed on him and that didn’t surprise Dubnyk.
“I used to be pretty emotional and that comes into playing,” said Dubnyk, whose 438 career games include previous stops in Arizona, Nashville and Edmonton. “There are a ton of different pressures that come with being a starter. If you’re only playing once in a while, that’s your Stanley Cup. You know the day is coming for days so you can prepare for it.
“When you’re playing every single game, the team record relies a lot more on what you’re doing. I have to find a way to be consistent every single night. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be perfect or that goals won’t go in. But you have to have the prep.
“I know the things I need to be comfortable. You kind of forget scenarios in a game if you can keep going back to those goalie things — like being over the top of my skates — and that’s all that really matters. You just keep going back to that and it rids the frustration of losing leads and things you can’t control.”
Markstrom was miffed at the 4-3 shootout loss Nov. 10 in Buffalo. A 3-1 lead evaporated with late goals in a 40-second span. And after a 5-2 loss Wednesday in Brooklyn, he took the high road.
“We’ve got a lot of competitors on this team — myself included — and I get mad, too,” said Markstrom. “I’m not smiling after every loss. You can be mad for a bit, but you can’t be grumpy about a game that happened last week or two or three days ago.”
Masking emotions are even tougher when goalies are struck in the mask and injured.
Demko turned his head when a practice shot struck him on the side of his mask. He suffered a concussion and the 22-year-old Utica Comets starter has yet to play this AHL season. He practised last week and is not playing this week because of illness, which was not a setback, according to the Comets.
Still, it magnifies how difficult it is to deal with vulcanized rubber whistling toward your head.
“You have two reactions and everything is instinct,” said Dubnyk. “Some guys tuck their chin and some turn their head.”