ANAHEIM — John Gibson’s statistics could be the worst of his NHL career when the 2021-22 season comes to an end April 29. He took a 17-24-11 record with a 3.16 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and a 13-game winless streak into Sunday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“Those are our numbers,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said beforehand.
In other words, Eakins said there was enough blame to go around for Gibson’s lackluster numbers and, especially, the 0-10-3 winless streak. Eakins praised Gibson’s competitiveness after Gibson made a Ducks record 52 saves in last Tuesday’s loss to Florida, and did so again Sunday.
“I can’t remember, like, in a playoff game, in any game, where a goalie played that well,” Eakins said. “Even on the goals they scored that night, he almost had them. It was crazy. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. This isn’t easy on him. He has given everything he can.”
No question, the Ducks haven’t been the same team since the NHL trade deadline last month, when general manager Pat Verbeek dealt veterans Nicolas Deslauriers, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson and Rickard Rakell rather than losing them through free agency in July.
Going into Sunday, the Ducks had won only three times since Gibson was in goal for their victory March 1 over the Boston Bruins. Anthony Stolarz was in net for victories over the San Jose Sharks on March 6, the Arizona Coyotes on April 1 and the Philadelphia Flyers on April 9.
“We can’t ask any more of him,” Eakins said of Gibson, who made his 53rd appearance of the season Sunday. “There’s been some focus on the fact that he hasn’t won a game (recently). We have not won a game.”
Gibson was 9-19-7 with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 35 games during the pandemic-shortened, 56-game 2020-21 season. The Ducks have five regular-season games remaining after playing the Blue Jackets, and it’s unclear how many more starts he’ll get.
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STAYING IN SCHOOL
Jackson LaCombe, the Ducks’ second-round draft pick (39th overall) in 2019, said he would return to the University of Minnesota for his senior year. LaCombe, a defenseman, had a team-leading 27 assists this past season for the Gophers, who advanced to the Frozen Four.
Last week, the Ducks signed LaCombe’s teammate, Blake McLaughlin, to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins with the 2022-23 season. McLaughlin was the Ducks’ third-round pick (79th overall) in 2018. He reported to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL on an amateur tryout.
PLAYOFF BOUND
The Gulls clinched a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs despite a loss Saturday to the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL team. The regular season ends April 29 and the playoffs begin the week of May 2. The first round will be a best-of-3 format and the second round will be best-of-5.