Daniil Tarasov is building his case to be the Detroit Red Wings' No. 1 goalie.
John Gibson left Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning early with a lower-body injury. If he’s out for an extended period, it’s the perfect opportunity for Tarasov to cement himself as the starting goalie.
The Red Wings host the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. But with Tarasov starting Monday’s game against the Florida Panthers and relieving Gibson on Tuesday, the Red Wings could opt to call up Michal Postava for Thursday’s game.
The Griffins host the Texas Stars on Wednesday, so it’ll be worth watching to see whether Postava or Trey Augustine gets the start.
Tarasov has outperformed Gibson
We’re one month into the 2026-27 season, and Tarasov has vastly outperformed Gibson. Gibson has played in five more games, but the results speak for themselves.
5 on 5 | TOI | GA | Save % | GAA | GSAA | HDSV % | xG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Gibson | 467:04 | 20 | 0.892 | 2.57 | -2.38 | 0.761 | 19.04 |
Daniil Tarasov | 237:04 | 5 | 0.943 | 1.27 | 3.29 | 0.842 | 9.06 |
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
At 5 on 5, Tarasov has an incredibly good save percentage (3rd in the NHL for goalies with more than 200 minutes played) and goals against average (2nd), but his advanced stats jump off the page as well, with 3.29 goals saved above expected (10th) and just 9.06 expected goals against (5th).
Gibson, on the other hand, has struggled at 5 on 5, especially against high-danger shots. Out of 56 goalies who have played at least 200 minutes, Gibson ranks 49th in high-danger save percentage.
But the woes don’t stop at 5 on 5 for Gibson. He’s been even worse on the penalty kill.
Penalty Kill | TOI | GA | Save % | GAA | GSAA | HDSV % | xG against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
John Gibson | 45:54 | 12 | 0.657 | 15.69 | -6.31 | 0.538 | 5.46 |
Daniil Tarasov | 25:49 | 2 | 0.909 | 4.65 | 3.08 | 1.000 | 4.97 |
Stats via Natural Stat Trick
In Gibson’s defense, the Red Wings haven’t exactly been defensive stalwarts on the PK, ranking 25th in the league at 70% and allowing the fifth-most shot attempts (155). But as the chart clearly shows, Gibson has allowed the vast majority of those goals.
Out of 50 goalies who have played at least 20 minutes on the penalty kill, Gibson’s -6.31 goals saved above expected ranks last and his 0.657 save percentage ranks 48th.
Tarasov has earned more starts
At the very least, Tarasov should have earned coach Todd McLellan’s trust moving forward. Even if Gibson misses no time with his injury, the Red Wings have a better chance of winning with Tarasov in net. He deserves more starts.
Gibson started off slow last year, then became one of the best goalies from December to February, so I’m not ready to write him off completely. But it’s clear how much better Tarasov has been in the first month.
Detroit, as a whole, has been better defensively this year, ranking sixth in the league with 2.34 expected goals against per 60 at 5 on 5. But only one of the goalies has taken advantage of that better defense in front of him.
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