Todd McLellan wasn’t interested in hanging Saturday’s collapse on John Gibson.
After the Detroit Red Wings let a two-goal third-period lead slip away in a 5-4 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the head coach pushed back on the idea that his goaltender was at fault.
Detroit had been up 4-2 near the middle of the final period before St. Louis ripped off three straight goals, including two 18 seconds apart, to steal the game at Little Caesars Arena.
McLellan pointed to the quality of the chances the Blues created rather than Gibson’s play. “First one, no chance,” McLellan said, going through the St.
Louis goals. “Second one was off the back post on the rim, really no chance.
Two lasers from the hashmarks, one was a one-timer, and the last one was a tip-in.
You can look at five (goals) on 15 (shots against), and it's not going to show up really well in his numbers column," McLellan said. "You know, maybe get one of them. But don't pin that on John Gibson by any means."
The Blues’ surge came after Detroit had controlled much of the night, especially early. St. Louis managed just one shot on goal in the first period, a stretch that made the ending sting even more for the Red Wings.
Gibson was beaten cleanly by Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Barron in the third period, with both shots beating him blocker side. The winner came only 18 seconds after Barron tied it, when Aleksanteri Kaskimaki got a deflection and was credited with his first NHL goal.
The loss also added another rough line to Gibson’s early-season numbers. He allowed five goals on 15 shots, dropping his season record to 4-5-1 with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .860 save percentage.
Detroit is still waiting for the version of Gibson it saw for long stretches last season. After a slow start in his first year with the Red Wings, he caught fire in December and put himself in the Vezina Trophy conversation. The veteran, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks last summer, has yet to find that same rhythm this season.
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