Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan believes that John Gibson still has every right to the crease, and he'll make his second start of the campaign on Friday evening against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The first game for John Gibson in a Detroit Red Wings jersey didn't go like he or the team planned, as he was pulled in the second period of last Thursday's season-opener against the Montreal Canadiens after surrendering five goals.
Since then, Cam Talbot has carried the starter's reigns and won three consecutive games for the Red Wings, who improved to 3-1 on the campaign.
Following Thursday's practice, head coach Todd McLellan announced that Gibson would be returning to the net for Friday evening's matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:00 p.m. ET).
Gibson didn't get much help from his teammates during the loss to Montreal, who had numerous odd-man rushes in the opening 20 minutes alone.
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This isn't Gibson's first time around the block either, as his career, which had previously been exclusively spent with the Anaheim Ducks, has included plenty of highs and lows over the course of 507 career regular season contests and an addition 26 playoff games.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened," Gibson said of his being pulled. "It’s not the last time it’s going to happen. It happens to everybody.”
McLellan, who agreed with the assessment of his players that they left Gibson out to dry, attributed the subpar outing as being team-wide rather than focus on Gibson's individual performance.
“He didn’t have a bad outing - we had a bad outing," McLellan said of Gibson. "He just happens to wear different equipment than everybody else. We were all part of it. The coaching staff was part of it. And he has a really good track record. We’re confident in him. We expect him to play a lot for us.”
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman acquired Gibson from the Ducks during the offseason for Petr Mrazek in a move that was intended to bring more stability to the crease.
While Talbot has the hot hand right now, McLellan knows Gibson's body of work gives him the benefit of the doubt.
"Gibby hasn’t given the net up," McLellan said. "He hasn’t relinquished anything. He has earned and deserves the opportunity to play tomorrow."
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