The Detroit Red Wings suffered their second shutout loss of the season. Not a good mark when you're expected to compete to land a playoff spot, coupled with going into the game leading the division with momentum behind your back.
Twice now, the Red Wings have played the New York Islanders, and twice, they have looked horrible against what is a potential playoff opponent. The Isles have outscored the Wings 12-2 so far, having beaten them 7-2 in October.
It's a bleak stat line for the Red Wings, and it's becoming a recurring pattern: They build momentum, make you think they're going on a roll, and then play like an AHL team, leaving you to wonder if they're really as good as they led you to believe.
It has to be the end for John Gibson
That was John Gibson's last chance to be a starting goaltender, right? At least for a while? There should be no argument here. Gibson went into Thursday night's game with a 0.875 save percentage and a 3.31 GAA, before allowing five goals on 26 shots.
Worse yet, they were all even-strength goals, as the Red Wings' penalty kill unit, at least, was cooking, holding off four Islanders power play attempts. Allowing five goals in a game means that the skaters in front of Gibson weren't helping, but with his play so bad this year, it was an opportunity for him to step up and be the hero.
Predictably, it didn't happen. If Steve Yzerman wants a reliable complement to Cam Talbot, it won't be Gibson. But with a $6.4 million price tag, Yzerman's unfortunately stuck with him. Maybe he considers carrying three goaltenders at the expense of a skater for the time being, but he can't have any more faith in Gibson.
Help on the way in the form of a forward?
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report listed some landing spots for winger Jordan Kyrou. And while Richardson didn't have the Wings in his top five, he at least tossed around the possibility that they could be a fit for the star forward.
Richardson wrote, "The Red Wings will eventually need a suitable replacement for aging winger Patrick Kane. They have the cap space and plenty of young players and prospects to use as trade bait, but their years outside the postseason picture could have them on his no-trade list."
Hey, if the Wings can't stop anyone from scoring when John Gibson is in the net, they can take the next-best route and make a big trade for a proven scorer. At least Kyrou would give the Wings a chance to outscore their opponents 6-5 every time Gibson is in the net, so it's a trade worth exploring if Kyrou's interested in coming to Detroit.
The good and bad surrounding the Red Wings
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski didn't give the Red Wings a decent chance to make the playoffs, despite the fact they took first place in the Atlantic Division this week. Wyshynski was off the mark, leading us to detail why the Wings are a deeper team than what meets the eye and that their goaltending would be more stable with Cam Talbot getting most of the reps in the net.
With breakouts emerging from some rookie forwards, two veterans, and a skater who has yet to make his presence well-known have become expendable in Hockeytown. Who are they, and what would make a trade better off for all parties if the Wings can find a trading partner?
Once again, the moment of truth has arrived for the Red Wings, and they have yet to answer the burning question of how they will bounce back from a big loss after spending the previous few games building momentum. Is it the start of another skid, or can the Wings minimize this latest blowout loss's effect and win their next game?