Detroit – It looks like the Red Wings will have goaltender John Gibson in the lineup Saturday for a crucial game against New Jersey.
Gibson didn’t practice Friday, after leaving Thursday’s victory against Philadelphia with an apparent injury, but coach Todd McLellan said it was more of a “maintenance day” and painted an optimistic picture.
“He (Gibson) felt much better, so we expect him to be ready to go (Saturday),” McLellan said after Friday’s practice.
Gibson was injured early in the second period Thursday and replaced by Cam Talbot. McLellan said Gibson felt stiffness after being run over by Flyers forward Owen Tippett, and Gibson was unable to finish the game.
“He’s (Gibson) obviously our go-to guy and we’ve used him a lot; he’s had a good season,” McLellan said. “But when Cam went in, he did a good job as well. Regardless of who has to play, we think we have a chance with either of them.”
The Wings called up goaltender Michal Postava under emergency conditions Friday morning to take Gibson’s net in practice.
Gibson has been instrumental to the Wings’ success with a 28-20-4 record, 2.63 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. His play from Thanksgiving on has been a key reason for the team’s success.
The Wings close out the home portion of their regular-season schedule Saturday against New Jersey. They close out the season with road games in Tampa Monday and Florida Wednesday.
The Wings currently trail Ottawa by three points – Ottawa also owns the tiebreaker – with three games remaining for both teams.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: John Gibson injury: Red Wings give update after recalling Michal Postava
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
