Gibson Takes the Heat, But Detroitâ€s Defensive Lapses Deserve the Blame in Montreal Rout

A closer look at Montrealâ€s five goals in Thursdayâ€s victory over Detroit and an assessment of how many can truly be pinned on John Gibson. 

The Detroit Red Wings had a troubling start to the season of Thursday as they found themselves down 3-1 early in the first period. They saw their chances in the second and third but never were able to crack the Habs defense and young goaltender Jakub Dobes. Montreal ended up prevailing 5-1 as the Red Wings were booed off the ice in their very first game of the season. 

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Every facet of the Red Wings†game came under scrutiny, the offense struggled to finish, the defense blew key assignments, and newly acquired goaltender John Gibson couldnâ€t come up with the saves Detroit needed. While the forwards generated a decent number of chances, it wouldnâ€t be fair to pin the loss solely on Gibson. Most of Montrealâ€s goals were avoidable, but defensive breakdowns turned them into easy opportunities for the Canadiens.

Take the Habs first goal for example. The Canadiens opened the scoring with a quick and efficient passing play. Brendan Gallagher, positioned along the boards, spotted a streaking Zach Bolduc breaking up the ice. After receiving a pass from defenseman Mike Matheson, Gallagher immediately sent the puck ahead into open ice, perfectly placed for Bolduc to collect.

Bolduc blew past Red Wings defenseman Travis Hamonic and forward Michael Rasmussen, creating a clean breakaway. He finished the play with a low blocker-side shot past goaltender John Gibson for the first goal. 

Breakaways are difficult for any goalie to stop, but the Red Wings†defensive struggles continued on Montrealâ€s second tally. The pairing of Hamonic and Albert Johansson was again caught out of position. Johansson was caught deep in the offensive zone, allowing Canadiens forward Oliver Kapanen to slip behind him. A quick pass found a charging Alex Newhook, setting up a two-on-one rush.

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Newhook fed Kapanen across the slot, and although Gibson managed to get a piece of the shot, it wasnâ€t enough to prevent Kapanen from burying it into the open net. 

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Montrealâ€s next two goals came off unfortunate deflections, one off Ben Chiarotâ€s stick and another off Johansson, continuing Detroitâ€s defensive woes. The fifth goal was likely the only one Gibson could have handled better. On a Canadiens power play, Cole Caufield fired a point shot that Gibson initially stopped but failed to control. The rebound kicked directly into the slot, where Juraj Slafkovsky pounced and fired it home. 

Ideally, Gibson would have directed the rebound to the corner or toward the side boards, keeping it away from a dangerous netfront chance. While the shot itself was difficult to handle, better rebound control or a quicker defensive response from Detroit could have prevented the goal.

Gibson was eventually pulled for Cam Talbot in the third, who finished the game with saves on four shots. Gibson’s final stat line was just eight saves on 13 shots with five goals allowed but the game tells a very different story as many of the goals he never had a chance on. 

The Red Wings management team took a big swing grabbing Gibson and he likely has more to prove than what was showed on Thursday. Thereâ€s no word yet on who will start Saturday against the Maple Leafs, but if Gibson gets the nod again, the hope is that heâ€ll have a better chance to showcase his abilities, rather than being left in no-win situations where heâ€s forced to make highlight-reel saves on odd-man rushes and breakaways.

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