Blues vs. Wild: Devan Dubnyk just needs more of the same for a Game 2 win

Game 1 between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues was textbook NHL playoffs drama. Spectacular goaltending. Late-game heroics. An overtime win.

We’d love to see more. The problem: The odds of a blowout are high if Game 2 on Friday plays out in a similar fashion.

St. Louis didn’t play well, and they know it. Minnesota will be hungry to even the series on home ice.

Jake Allen seems ready for this. There was some question about that months ago when St. Louis fired Ken Hitchcock. Allen hadn’t yet justified the team’s faith in him as a No. 1 goalie.

But 51 saves in a playoff win has a way of fixing that. Allen was sensational and absolutely deserved the win his teammates delivered in overtime.

Devan Dubnyk. I mean, the ball is in his court now. It must grate on him that the Wild completely dominated Game 1 and came away with a win thanks (mostly) to the guy in the other net. It’s up to Dubnyk to deliver another great game for Minnesota to try and capitalize on.

St. Louis’ defending. Don’t let Allen’s night bury the lede here: Nothing good happened if you forced your goalie to make 51 saves. The Blues were atrocious in their own end and Zach Parise’s “hey look, I’m all alone on the doorstep” goal to tie it in the dying seconds was inevitable. St. Louis can’t win a series this way.

We know the goalies are up for it, but questions remain. Can the Blues tighten up defensively? If not, can Allen play that well again? Until we see it, we won’t believe. Wild take Game 2.