After taking blame for loss to Vegas, Matt Dumba bringing added energy and leadership to Wild

Matt Dumba played the most minutes on the Wild, had a team-high nine shot attempts and created the momentum swing that gave the group its best chance Tuesday night to rally against the Sharks.

Basically, the Wild fell short 4-1 at Xcel Energy Center despite Dumba's effort, not because of it.

"Certainly one of the guys that played real well," coach Dean Evason said. "Was physical, jumping into the play. Yeah, he did a lot of good things."

Two games earlier, though, Dumba was behind the miscue that preceded the decisive goal in a 3-2 loss at Vegas. Not only did he own up to the botched play, but he made it clear he had to improve.

Since then, that's exactly what's happened — a turnaround that's highlighted the skills he brings to the Wild blue line and the opportunity he has as one of the team's new alternate captains.

"Dumbs always has energy," Evason said. "He's always ready to go, no question about that. But I think he took a lot of responsibility for that play, and I think he wants to lead in the right direction. And he has done that, not only being physical and being who he is, but he was calm.

"He wasn't trying to do extra stuff. He was just playing within himself. So yeah, I think he is being a leader."

One of the longest-tenured players on the team, Dumba has returned with the same calling card he developed during eight previous seasons with the Wild.

He's a staple on defense alongside Jonas Brodin, with Dumba leading the team in average ice time (22 minutes, 50 seconds), and he has the skating ability and instincts to ignite offense. Only Kirill Kaprizov has more assists than Dumba's seven, and Dumba's 40 shots through 15 games are tops among Wild defensemen; he also has two goals.

Matt Dumba career statistics

Against San Jose, Dumba put four pucks on net and had another five wind-ups blocked in 22:21 of action. He also lifted the Wild to the precipice of a comeback, with the Sharks' retaliation after Dumba's hit on Alexander Barabanov leading to a Wild power play. But the Wild took a penalty less than a minute later to negate the rest of the advantage, and San Jose scored soon after to turn a 2-1 lead into a 3-1 cushion.

"It's kind of my role on the team to bring energy, bring shots and just contribute that way," said Dumba, who was drafted seventh overall by the Wild in 2012 and is in the second-to-last season of a five-year, $30 million contract. "That's what I'm trying to do."

What is new about this season is his leadership position.

Dumba and Marcus Foligno were appointed alternate captains before the season, replacing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter after they had their contracts bought out in the summer. Suter is set to face off against the Wild for the first time since that split on Thursday when the Stars stop by Xcel Energy Center.

This promotion, however, hasn't just been a letter affixed to Dumba's jersey.

The 27-year-old has acted the part, calling the neutral-zone turnover ahead of the game-winning goal last Thursday in Vegas a "bad play" and mentioning how he felt he let his teammates down.

"I've got to be better," he said.

And he was.

His performance the next game in the 4-2 win at Seattle was tight, and Dumba was one of the few bright spots for the Wild vs. the Sharks.

"Every guy in this league makes high-risk plays, and sometimes you get on the other end of it, the negative side of it," Foligno said. "But we look at him as a star player on our team and to step up in big moments. We have all the confidence in Dumbs.

"He's a confident guy and has a lot of pride. When he says he messes up, you know he's going to come back with a better effort. But more times than not, he's doing the right thing."

Even before he acquired a title, Dumba had that billing with the Wild.

Now, his play can carry even more significance.

"I'm trying on a daily basis to be the best I can for my teammates," Dumba said. "I'm getting a good amount of ice right now, and I don't want to take that for granted."