In a thrilling match, John Gibson showcased his extraordinary talent by achieving his third shutout of the season, leading the Detroit Red Wings to a decisive 4-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday. With 27 saves under his belt, Gibson solidified his reputation as a top-tier goalie, marking his impressive 27th career shutout. Over his last 14 games, he boasts an impressive record of 12-2-0, which includes two previous shutouts earlier in the season.
Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin praised Gibson’s performance, stating, "He was unbelievable. He’s been rock solid for us, and just his demeanor, he doesn’t get too high or too low. When things weren’t going well for him early on, he stuck with it. When he’s in net, he gives us a huge confidence boost, and it’s great to see him keeping everything in front of him."
Gibson's stellar play was complemented by forward Alex DeBrincat, who contributed significantly with one goal and two assists. Larkin and Andrew Copp also made their mark by each scoring a goal and assisting another, helping the Red Wings to maintain their strong standing in the Atlantic Division with a record of 27-15-4. They have now won three consecutive games and are currently leading the division with 58 points, edging out the Tampa Bay Lightning by a single point and staying ahead of the Canadiens by two.
"Every win, especially those against divisional rivals, is crucial, so we need to gather as many points as possible," Larkin emphasized. "With how competitive the Eastern Conference is this year, we know there won’t be a smooth path ahead, so it’s essential to build our team’s game and accumulate points now."
On the other side, Jacob Fowler managed to make 20 saves for Montreal (25-14-6), who faced their third shutout of the season after enjoying a three-game winning streak prior to this loss. Fowler reflected on the game, saying, "Some nights you get the bounces, some nights you don’t. Credit to them; they worked hard and played a great game. Whenever we made a mistake, their goalie was there to make a big save."
The Red Wings opened the scoring with Lucas Raymond netting a goal just 4:52 into the second period. Following an unexpected bounce off the boards, Raymond found the puck and shot it into an open net after Fowler ventured behind the net to play a dump-in from James van Riemsdyk. Van Riemsdyk noted, "It’s nice when the bounces go your way. Overall, I thought it was a solid team win, despite a few mistakes here and there."
Fowler acknowledged the difficulty of his position, sharing, "It’s tough. You want to make every save for your team, and I felt like I was controlling the game well. It's frustrating to take the wind out of the team's sails, but it’s all part of learning the game better."
Larkin doubled the Red Wings’ lead with a power-play goal at 11:43 after winning a face-off, capitalizing on a Canadiens penalty for having too many men on the ice. He fired a low shot past Fowler from the left face-off circle, assisted by DeBrincat, who received a pass from Moritz Seider.
DeBrincat then scored just 34 seconds into the third period, extending the lead to 3-0. He was left unmarked in the slot, allowing him to unleash a powerful slapshot past Fowler, assisted by Patrick Kane, who made a precise pass from the right side.
Montreal’s captain Nick Suzuki, playing in his 500th NHL game all with the Canadiens, expressed his disappointment, stating, "It was just a couple of unfortunate bounces for us, and we couldn’t find a way to get the puck in the net."
Copp sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 1:07 remaining, finalizing the score at 4-0. Van Riemsdyk remarked, "Obviously, ‘Gibby’ was outstanding, but we executed what we needed to do to win. We’ve been discovering ways to succeed, and that’s what matters most."
In other notable moments from the game, Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle returned to the ice for the first time since October 16, logging 18:54 minutes and registering two shots on goal. He had undergone surgery on November 13 for a partially torn adductor muscle, missing 39 games in total. Suzuki also made history by becoming the sixth player in NHL history to play 500 consecutive games from the start of his career. Larkin scored his 265th goal with the Red Wings, tying John Ogrodnick for tenth place in the team’s all-time history.
