The Detroit Red Wings points-streak came to an end tonight with the Calgary Flames putting three second period goals on John Gibson and the Red Wings’ head tonight, beating them in regulation.
It wasn’t Gibson’s prettiest outing, with the veteran netminder giving up four goals on the night in his likely last night at the Saddledome as the Red Wings for the first time since 2023, lost to the Flames 4-1.
In a lather
Last year, the Red Wings relied heavily on current Columbus Blue Jackets backup Cam Talbot for much of the first two months of the season as Gibson, newly acquired from Anaheim, adjusted to the team in front of him to begin the year. From December on, the Red Wings almost exclusively played Gibson however, with the-then 31-year-old netminder playing the third most games in a single season of his career (57) by the end of the year.
Detroit has started Gibson in eight of their first eleven games, with the former Anaheim Ducks netminder accruing a .871 sv%, 3.35 GAA stat line going into the matchup with the Flames. With Gibson in net, the Red Wings are 3-4-1, and in two of those wins have needed to score 3 or more goals in order to achieve victory.
“We don’t survive those moments. We don’t score enough, and tonight proved it.” Head coach Todd McLellan said.
The Red Wings offensive attack, however, has not been their calling card so far this season, with Detroit relying heavily on team defense to keep them in games. There’s not much Gibson can do about the rest of the skaters on the team putting pucks in net, but he is ranked 52nd amongst NHL netminders in goals saved above expected on the year so far.
Hold your horses
Backup Daniil Tarasov tweaked something earlier on the Red Wings Pacific Division road trip, which leaves rookie Michal Postava, recalled under emergency conditions, as the Red Wings only other option aside from Gibson for the near future.
The Red Wings will next find themselves facing off against the Edmonton Oilers and more importantly, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl. McDavid has 33 points in eleven games, and Draisatl is no slouch either, with 23. It would also be Gibson’s third straight start within the last week, if the Red Wings give him the nod.
On the other hand, throwing Postava into his first start, on the road, against a high powered Oilers squad seems more like the stuff out of a goalie’s nightmare, though Postava has shown in the past that he is willing to meet just about any challenge.
Either way, the Red Wings need to find a better balance in net for Gibson to find his footing. The Red Wings simply do not have the margin for error to be throwing away the first two months of the season waiting for him to find his late season form.
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