Would the Detroit Red Wings bounce back and enjoy a big win after losing by three goals on Thursday night? That was one question fans demanded an answer to, as they looked like a team that went off the rails the second they faced adversity multiple times this season.
Fortunately for them, they skated into Chicago and shut out the Blackhawks. And for a team that struggled on the road, the Wings finished this six-game trip with a 4-1-1 record. You couldn't have asked for more out of the Wings, who are in second place in the Atlantic, tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning at 39 points apiece but behind only due to a tiebreaker.
It's safe to say the Wings built momentum on this road trip. But one player needed a momentum shift more than any other, and that was goaltender John Gibson.
John Gibson did the unthinkable on this road trip
At this point, we can say so much for the narrative surrounding John Gibson earlier this season. We can officially get cautiously optimistic, as he enjoyed not one but two shutouts on this trip after looking like one of the NHL's worst netminders to start off the season.
Gibson, who shut out the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the road trip, did the same with the Blackhawks, stopping all 26 shots. Gibson now has a 0.890 save percentage and a 3.13 GAA to add to his shutouts. His GAA is still a meager 0.388, but here's a goaltender in a new city who could have thrown in the towel when he had a chance to.
Gibson didn't, and if he keeps playing in vintage form, there is no doubt the Red Wings are ending their playoff drought during what has so far been an exciting Centennial season.
Patrick Kane is just two goals away from history
Patrick Kane potted his 498th goal off a backhand to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead, and he just needs more to join a club that includes Mike Modano, Joe Mullen, Jeremy Roenick, and Keith Tkachuk as one of just five American-born players to hit the 500-goal mark.
Not a bad club to be part of, and it would all but complete Patrick Kane's resume. Earlier in the year, Kane tied Modano for most multi-point games by an American-born player before he outright broke the record on Dec. 4.
With 1,366 points, he's also eight away from tying Modano in the points category. Modano's 1,374 points paces all American-born players in NHL history. He also leads American-born players in goals scored with 561, and Kane, should he play long enough, will have a chance to break that record, too.
Keep watching Kane this season, as he looks like a man on a mission to surpass Modano in any way he can. Kane currently has 23 points and six goals in 24 games this season, and it looks like he's heating up at the right time.