John Gibson Exits Early With Lower-Body Injury As Red Wings' Crease Chaos Continues
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson left Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury, forcing a tired Daniil Tarasov into relief and raising questions about the team's upcoming rotation.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 1 min read
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Being a Detroit Red Wings fan right now feels like participating in a medical study where you are the control group for misery. Just as the second period was about to start against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night, starting goaltender John Gibson was nowhere to be found.
The team quickly announced Gibson was done for the night with a lower-body injury. He had already surrendered two goals on 13 shots in the opening frame, leaving Detroit in a 2-0 hole before his lower half apparently decided it had seen enough of the Tampa Bay offense.
"Daily Faceoff reported Gibson wouldn't return due to a lower-body injury."
This is not exactly a shocking plot twist for anyone who has tracked Gibson's recent medical chart. He already had to leave a game back on October 22 against the Vancouver Canucks with an upper-body issue, only to rush back to the crease two nights later like nothing happened.
Before you scramble to adjust your fantasy lineups or hammer the over on opposing team totals, remember that Gibson has not exactly been a brick wall this year anyway. Through his first 10 starts, the 33-year-old is sitting on a 4-5-1 record with a rough 3.37 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage that looks more like a bad batting average than a professional goalie stat.
Daniil Tarasov had to strap the pads back on in relief, which is a brutal assignment considering he just earned a grueling win against his former Florida Panthers squad less than 24 hours prior. Throwing a tired backup into the fire against a rested Lightning squad is the kind of scenario that makes live betting a terrifying proposition.
Detroit does not have the luxury of waiting around for Gibson to heal at his own pace. They host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, meaning if Gibson is dealing with anything more than a minor tweak, expect AHL goaltender of the month Michal Postava to get an emergency call-up from the Grand Rapids Griffins to stop the bleeding.
Key stats
Key statsGibson is 4-5-1 with a 3.37 GAA and .860 SV% in his first 10 starts.
Gibson allowed 2 goals on 13 shots in the first period before exiting.
Daniil Tarasov entered in relief less than 24 hours after beating Florida.
What's next
If Gibson misses time, the Red Wings will likely call up Michal Postava from Grand Rapids ahead of Thursday's game against Vegas.
