The Detroit Red Wings needed a win, but nobody needed a stellar performance more than John Gibson. Gibson struggled all season, and with Sebastian Cossa making dynamic saves in the AHL, fans were calling for a change.
Bring up Cossa and let Gibson spend most of his time in the press box. That seemed to be the narrative. Then on Monday night, Gibson reminded fans why the Red Wings acquired him, posting 39 saves in a shutout win on the road.
That was the player fans have been waiting for, and the latest question is: Will he enjoy more performances like this? If he does, then the Red Wings finally have a stopgap in the net until Cossa is ready to roll. Gibson needs more than one big game, but it never hurts to give fans a reason to be optimistic.
James van Riemsdyk keeps turning back the clock
I recently wrote that fans shouldn't be worried about James van Riemsdyk's lack of production, since he was helping out the Wings in other ways. But here's a stat for you: van Riemsdyk has six goals in his last seven games and seven on the season.
Who said van Riemsdyk was washed up? He wasn't producing earlier in the year points-wise, but the seasoned vet showed his value. Now, he's turning into one of the more complete players on the Red Wings and looks perfectly capable of turning back into a 20-goal scorer.
Detroit Red wings are leading the herd
It seems like the entire Atlantic Division has been hot and cold at varying times, and the Red Wings are no exception. But when they're hot, the Wings are either close to or leading the Atlantic. Following Monday night's blowout win, Detroit's back to pacing the Atlantic. For now, at least.
They also have a good chance to supersede the narrative and stay hot. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and Ottawa Senators, to name a few, have all struggled through cold streaks while spending a week or so playing like the best team in the Eastern Conference.
If the Red Wings can break that trend, then they'll be just fine heading into midseason. But that needs to start now, and they can't afford to keep yo-yoing the way they have. The rest of this road trip might determine where the Red Wings are headed.