Oilers’ Devan Dubnyk redeems himself
Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk used to get down on himself and stay down. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
By Allan Muir
Looking for an emerging theme as this abbreviated NHL season steams toward the quarter pole?
How about goaltender redemption.
Take Roberto Luongo, the Vancouver stopper who began the year with a For Sale sign draped around his neck. He put the trade talk out of his head, reconnected with his mojo and seized the starting job from Cory Schneider.
Corey Crawford, whose leaky five-hole led to the Blackhawks being dumped in the first round last spring, changed up his pregame routine and has found the consistency that eluded him for painful stretches in the past.
Antti Niemi, held up as hockey’s answer to Trent Dilfer after winning the Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, has bounced back from his own soft playoff performance for San Jose to lead the league’s stingiest defense in the early going.
And then there’s Edmonton’s Devan Dubnyk.
