John Gibson's first shutout with the Detroit Red Wings shouldn't negate the subpar season he's had in Hockeytown. But this 39-save outing was memorable, since it put him in a rare club with just two active American-born goaltenders.
Kevin Woodley of NHL.com reported that Gibson "became one of three active American goaltenders to record 25 career shutouts, joining Jonathan Quick (64 shutouts) and Connor Hellebuyck (45)."
That's impressive enough for a goaltender like Gibson, who has enjoyed a successful NHL career despite pedestrian numbers that date back to his time with the Anaheim Ducks. After placing 10th for the Vezina in 2019, Gibson has started 282 games, posting a solid 0.900 save percentage, but just a 3.30 GAA, seven shutouts, and a 0.479 quality starts percentage.
Monday's 4-0 blowout against the Vancouver Canucks was Gibson's first shutout win since the 2022-23 season, so finally getting one has got to be a massive weight lifted off his back. Not only did he finally get the shutout he had been seeking in Detroit, it ended a drought that started on Jan. 5, 2023.
John Gibson still has a lot to prove with the Detroit Red Wings
There is no way Red Wings fans will get too satisfied with Gibson posting just one epic outing. They might be glad he finally showed that he can still be the goaltender fans thought was coming to Hockeytown, but Gibson has still allowed four-plus goals in nine of his 16 appearances.
In 12 of those games, Gibson has posted a save percentage lower than 0.900, and his quality starts percentage is just 0.313, which is by far a career-worst. It also doesn't mean Gibson hasn't shown flashes of brilliance throughout his short time with the Wings.
He has now won his last three starts after starting the season 4-7-1. Gibson has also made 34-plus saves in two of those games, and this is coming at a time when he could have easily folded. In his last three starts in November, Gibson allowed five goals in three straight games, giving up 15 on 79 shots.
Is the arrow finally pointing north for John Gibson?
Now that Gibson has snagged his first shutout in almost three years, strung together a few wins, and looked like the goaltender the Red Wings expected him to be, you can argue that things are looking up for the Red Wings' netminder.
But Gibson had a decent mini-stretch of games earlier in the year when he allowed one goal in an overtime win vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning before allowing two vs. the Edmonton Oilers. Gibson lost his next outing before scoring back-to-back wins against the St. Louis Blues. It looked like the arrow was pointing north then, but Gibson lost six of his next seven starts.
So, while he just became one of just three active American-born goaltenders to hit the quarter-century mark in shutouts and enjoyed a fine three-game stretch, the jury remains out on Gibson. If he's still playing this way when the calendar turns to January, feel free to be cautiously optimistic. Until then, let's wait and see what Gibson does without making any assumptions that he's back on form.