The Detroit Red Wings have recently challenged the entire team to dig deeper. Consequently, John Gibson has stepped up and started to shine. After an important 4-3 win in Seattle, Gibson posted a shutout in Vancouver. Detroit’s forwards complemented that performance with four goals for the win.
Detroit now sits 2-0-1 on this road trip, however things are getting tougher. The Red Wings will play back to back games in Calgary and Edmonton, and the team will need to be sharp. Fortunately, Gibson seems to have found his game on this current west coast swing.
Thus far, John Gibson’s initial year in Detroit has been a tough one. Posting an .881 sv% and 3.35 goals against, this hasn’t been what the team had been expecting. Still, Gibson seems to be finding his game at an important time for the team.
Secondary Scoring and Axel Sandin-Pelllikka
Along with big saves, the Red Wings were able to get some much needed secondary scoring. James Van Riemsdyk has come alive, scoring six goals in his past seven games. Consequently, JVR has set a new career high with goals in four straight games. His emergence is not only timely, it’s been a boost for the Wings’ bottom six.
Rookie Nate Danielson scored his second goal of the year, deflecting a shot from Axel Sandin-Pellikka. ASP had two assists on the night, and earned the game’s second star. Ironically, ASP was selected with a pick acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. Impressively, his performance continues to rise as the season progresses.
Andrew Copp scored his third goal of the year, and Marco Kasper finally garnered his first assist. Kasper’s drop off has been concerning, if not disastrous this season. Yet, last season saw a much stronger second half in Kasper’s rookie campaign. Hopefully, the team will see a similar jump in production this season.
The Red Wings are on track for the post season
The Red Wings currently sit 16-11-3 on the year, with 35 points in 30 games played. Conversely, the team was 12-14-4 last season, with 28 points after 30 games. The Red Wings currently lead the Atlantic division, however but only one point. The standings are in constant flux this season, and a bad stretch can be disastrous.
If 96 points will make the post season, then a team needs six wins (or the equivalent) every 10 games played. Therefore, after 30 games a team needs to have 36 points to be on track for those goals. Currently, the Red Wings are just one point off of the pace to break the post season drought.
However, the road ahead will get even more challenging. Detroit will play two games in three nights next. Currently, the Wings are 2-0-1 on this road trip with three more games to play. If the team can get 4 points out of six available, this will be a huge boost. However, the goal tending will need to be solid if not spectacular for the team to do so. Yet, Gibson seems to have found his game at exactly the right time to provide just that.
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