Every Wednesday, FOX Sports North takes a look at which athletes' stock is trending up and whose is trending down.
In other words, who's heating up, and who's cooling off.
With that in mind, let's "take stock" of the current sports scene in Minnesota.
Devan Dubnyk, Wild goalie
Dubnyk is playing like a Vezina Trophy-winner two months into the season, and now leads the league with a .946 save percentage heading into his 300th career start. His .956 even-strength save percentage is tied with reigning goaltending champ Carey Price for the league lead.
The Holiday Bowl-bound Gopher football team
It's not Pasadena, but it'll do. After being unceremoniously shuffled off to Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl last year, the Gophers are headed to sunny San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. They'll face Washington State at Qualcomm Stadium, but that doesn't appear to be the Gophers' focus at the moment. In lieu of their usual homepage GopherSports.com now brings up an unavoidable landing page that features a gold and maroon helmet on a beach. Subtle, guys.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves center
Towns had a tough night in the Wolves' lost to the Spurs on Tuesday, a rare stumble, but it's hard to ignore his monster game against the Knicks. "I've got to do more," Towns said following a 106-104 loss to New York at Target Center. How..? Towns dropped a career-high 47 points and 18 boards in the loss, his latest matchup with friendly rival Kristaps Porzingis.
Mike Zimmer, Vikings head coach
It's been a rough week for Zimmer. The notoriously taciturn Vikings boss missed their game against the Cowboys after undergoing emergency surgery for a detached retina. He returned to practice Tuesday with an eyepatch, before declaring himself "good to go" at a press conference Wednesday. He has since ditched the eyepatch.
Jeff Locke, Vikings punter
Being named "Most Likely To Be The Love Child Of Clay Aiken And The Elf On The Shelf" by Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon should have been the low point of Locke's week, but his performance against the Cowboys probably has the edge. Locke punted seven times in the loss, averaging just 31.9 yards.
Laquon Treadwell, Vikings receiver
Do the Vikings like to bring their rookies along slowly? Maybe, but Treadwell's issues seem to go deeper than simple first-year struggles. The former first-round pick appeared to run the wrong route on a third-down play in the Vikings' loss to Dallas, finishing without a catch while playing just 11 snaps.
Zach Parise, Wild forward
Parise looked energized after coach Bruce Boudreau moved him to the third line alongside Erik Haula and Jason Pominville in a win over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, but his numbers so far this season are concerning. Parise has just two goals since his two-goal outburst against the New York Islanders on Oct. 23 and has picked up nine points in 17 games this season. He's struggled with injuries so far this season, but his scoring pace, just 0.52 points per game, is a worrying drop from his career point-per-game numbers.
