Gibson’s been good on the rebound
Netminder has had a few rocky starts, but he comes back sharp — and he wins
ANAHEIM, CALIF. It was a year ago when the Anaheim Ducks were presented with a goalie problem — or perhaps an embarrassment of riches.
In John Gibson and Frederik Andersen, who had combined for the league’s lowest goals-against average in 2015-16, the Ducks had arguably the best tandem in the NHL. The problem was that came at a cost. With Andersen’s contract expiring last summer, the team had to choose one over the other.
Anaheim ultimately went with the younger goalie, trading the rights for restricted free agent Andersen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a package that included a first-round draft pick. It was a move that thrust Gibson into the starting job at the age of 23.
“It’s obviously exciting, but there’s pressure that comes with it,” said Gibson, who lost the starting job in last year’s playoffs after the Ducks lost games 1 and 2 to the Nashville Predators. “You obviously want to prove to the guys and management that the decision they made was the right one.”
While Andersen was solid in his first year in Toronto, leading the team to an unlikely playoff berth, Anaheim does not have seller’s remorse. With the Ducks six wins away from the Stanley Cup, Gibson has joined the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Matt Murray as one of the top young goalies in the NHL.
“Obviously, with the situations with contracts and numbers and all those things that get put to the test in the summer, the decision was made to stick with Gibby,” Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. “And the decision looks like a good one right now, doesn’t it?”
Still, Gibson’s post-season has seen a few bumps along the way. In the first round, he was pulled after allowing four goals on 16 shots in a come-from-behind overtime win against the Flames, sitting on the bench for all five of Anaheim’s goals. And after a Game 1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, where Gibson gave up four goals again, Carlyle busted out an old line that he used when critiquing his goalie in Toronto: “One time I said he was just OK and it got me in a lot of crap.”
Gibson’s biggest test came in Game 6 against the Oilers, when he was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots. It wasn’t just Gibson: The entire Ducks team was awful in that 7-1 loss. Still, with Game 7 three days later, there was some concern whether Gibson would be able to bounce back.
“I think it helped that that entire game almost didn’t even seem real,” defenceman Cam Fowler said. “It was one of those games where you scratch your head after and say, ‘How did that even happen?’ But he’s a guy who doesn’t get fazed by the moment or the situation. He doesn’t over-think things.
“He knows he belongs there and is a starting goaltender and a really good one, so you knew he was going to bounce back with a really good performance, which he did in Game 7, and he’s just kept that momentum going.”
Gibson stopped 23 of 24 shots in that elimination game. Since then, he has played his best hockey of the playoffs, recording a .935 save percentage against the Nashville Predators in the Western Conference final.
“It’s only one game,” Gibson said of his second-round hiccup against the Oilers. “I think the longer you play in the playoffs and the more you play, you’re bound to have an off night, whether it’s a couple of individuals or the team or whatever. I said from Day 1, it’s how you rebound and follow it up. And I think since then I’ve obviously done a good job.”
Said Carlyle: “With Gibby, there’s the first two series, Calgary and Edmonton, where we thought that in the situations that he was presented in the most stressful time or most intense time, he played his best hockey. So that’s where you see the growth and you see the competitiveness inside, where he doesn’t normally display them outwardly. But he definitely is a competitor inside.”
That he’s doing it at an age when most goalies are plying their trade in the minors or as backups might not be surprising to those who watched the Pittsburgh native win gold for the U.S. at the 2013 world juniors. Undeniably, he’s a big reason why the Ducks enter Game 5 with the series tied 2-2.
“There’s no surprise,” Fowler said. “He’s always had that ability. He’s a confident kid. No matter what the situation is, he’s never overwhelmed. He’s been amazing for us. He’s kept us in hockey games. He’s helped us win hockey games. He seems really confident, so he’s doing a great job for us.”