NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Two games. One loss. Nine goals. A 4.35 goals-against average and an .850 save percentage.

That was the sum total of the Devan Dubnyk era in Nashville back in January of 2014, when he was one of several goalies the Predators tried after Pekka Rinne was knocked out for most of the season by a bacterial infection in his surgically repaired hip.

"It was a challenging time in my career," Dubnyk said. "It's always fun to come back and show the people in Nashville that I wasn't that bad."

He's been nothing but great this year for the Minnesota Wild, demonstrating his ability to stop the puck again Thursday night with 34 saves in a 5-2 victory at Bridgestone Arena.

In leading Minnesota (16-8-4) to its season-high sixth straight win, Dubnyk (15-6-3) allowed two goals or less for the sixth consecutive game. He hasn't given up more than three goals in any of his 24 games this season, logging NHL bests in save percentage (.947) and goals-against (1.60) prior to Thursday.

The Predators (13-12-4) certainly tested Dubnyk with point blasts, one-timers and tips. They tried to put players in front of the net to take away his vision. Save for a Ryan Ellis rocket at 12:04 of the first period and a tap-in power-play marker by Mike Fisher at 8:55 of the second, none of it worked.

"He's been doing it against every team," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said of Dubnyk. "It seems like he gets into a zone where he decides that nothing else is going to beat him."

Meanwhile, Minnesota used two goals in a 29-second span late in the first period to shape the game's remainder. Charlie Coyle's rebound marker at 18:37, followed by Eric Staal's wrister through the legs of Pekka Rinne at 19:06, gave the Wild a 3-1 advantage and forced Nashville to chase the game for the night's remainder.

That tactic worked Tuesday night when the Predators tallied six straight goals to wipe out a 3-0 St. Louis lead. It didn't pan out so well against Dubnyk.

"It's a hard way to play the game," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "I liked 50 or 55 minutes that we played, but it was a frustrating result. They're one of the teams that gives up the fewest goals. It's hard to chase against them."

The Predators, which lost in regulation for just the third time in 15 home games, owned a clear territorial edge in 5-on-5 play. At one point late in the third period, they boasted a 52-33 advantage in shot attempts, counting missed and blocked shots.

But with Dubnyk turning aside easy and tough chances while getting help from his teammates, who in the third period did a better job of managing the puck and not letting Nashville generate speed through the neutral zone, the Predators' shot margin really didn't amount to much.

A big moment came just past the third period's midway point, when Chris Stewart took a poorly timed post-whistle minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Dubnyk and his teammates bailed Stewart out with the kill, Dubnyk supplying a clutch save on Ryan Johansen from point-blank at the right goal post.

"The kill was obviously huge," Staal said. "I thought we were a tough team to play against tonight."

Jonas Brodin started the scoring for Minnesota with a power-play marker at 10:20 of the first period with a wrister from between the faceoff circles. After Ellis tallied his fourth goal, the Wild took advantage of a pair of defensive breakdowns to take command.

Minnesota sealed it in the last minute with empty-net goals from Staal, his second of the night, and Mikael Granlund.

Rinne (12-8-4) finished with 14 saves on 17 shots for Nashville.

NOTES: Minnesota entered the game tied for last in the NHL in power-play chances with 79. It broke an eight-game streak of not scoring with the man advantage in the first period, thanks to D Jonas Brodin. ... Nashville's plus-23 goal differential at home ranks third in the NHL. By contrast, it has been outscored by 20 goals in going 3-9-2 on the road. ... The Wild scratched LW Teemu Pulkkinen and D Nate Prosser. ... Predators scratches were D Petter Granberg and C Reid Boucher.