The Detroit Red Wings traded for John Gibson in the summer, hoping he would be the answer to their goaltending woes. Gibson earned the start in Detroit's season debut on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, the veteran netminder's team debut did not go as everyone had planned.
Detroit head coach Todd McLellan pulled Gibson from the game on Thursday. The newest Red Wings puckstopper allowed five goals on 13 shots. Veteran goaltender Cam Talbot came on in relief with the hosting Red Wings trailing 5-1 in the second period.
Juraj Slafkovský makes it a four-goal game and John Gibson’s Red Wings debut is over early 😳 pic.twitter.com/6LbKmRi7cG
— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) October 10, 2025
Detroit opened the scoring in the first period. A pass from Patrick Kane found its way to Dylan Larkin who ripped it home. Detroit scored on its power play to make it a 1-0 game. From there, the Canadiens dominated. The Habs claimed the first win of their season in Hockeytown by the score of 5-1.
How bad was John Gibson in Red Wings debut?
Gibson certainly would like to have a couple of these goals back. However, to place the blame entirely on him might be a bit misguided. The veteran Detroit netminder did not have the greatest defensive efforts in front of him.
Detroit's third pairing of Albert Johansson and Travis Hamonic especially struggled. Johansson played with confidence, and Hamonic made a strong play early when Detroit had the 1-0 lead. In saying this, the pairing ended as a -3 on the night. Their defensive lapses led to Montreal's first goal, for instance.
At the same time, Gibson did not help his cause. Mike Matheson's goal near the end of the first period, for instance, is one he should probably save. Juraj Slafkovsky's goal is another the veteran netminder should keep out of the net.
Either way, it's a very disappointing performance. The Red Wings were celebrating the beginning of their 100th season in the NHL. And the celebration quickly became a dreadful nightmare. Detroit will go again on Saturday when they begin a home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
