ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Darcy Kuemper makes three in goal for the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota recalled Kuemper from Iowa of the American Hockey League on Sunday after he finished a conditioning stint with the Iowa Wild. Kuemper went 2-3-0 with a 3.22 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in five starts with Iowa, with one shutout.
Kuemper's role is a bit uncertain as he returns.
The 2009 sixth-round draft pick was Minnesota's top goaltender earlier in the season, making the majority of the team's starts, but faltered a bit in December and January. He is 13-12-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average and .904 save percentage after starting the season with three shutouts in his first four games.
The Wild acquired goaltender Devan Dubnky on Jan. 14 and Dubnyk has made nine straight starts for Minnesota, going 7-1-0 with a 1.31 goals-against average and .948 save percentage as the Wild has surged to a tie for ninth in the Western Conference.
Dubnyk made 18 saves to shutout Colorado on Saturday night and is working on a shutout streak of 126 minutes, 39 seconds in shutting out Chicago and Colorado in back-to-back starts.
Dubnyk has four shutouts in nine games with Minnesota and is the fastest goaltender to post four shutouts with a new team among goaltenders in the NHL's expansion era (since the 1967-68 season), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Kuemper last played in the NHL on Jan. 20, stopping all 14 shots he faced in regulation in overtime after replacing Dubnyk -- who allowed four goals on 10 shots -- in the second period of an eventual overtime loss at Detroit. Kuemper has played one NHL game since Jan. 6.
Minnesota faces back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday. The Wild host Vancouver on Monday before traveling to Winnipeg.
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