John Gibson's Red Wings Record Doesn't Tell the Whole Story

The Red Wings goaltender took two losses to open the year but deserved to win both games.

Oct 2, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save in the third period against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Detroit Red Wings and head coach Todd McClellan have started the 2026-27 season 0-2 after taking two home weekend losses to the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets. The Red Wings got outscored 5-2 total in both games and did not do their goaltender many favors.

Goaltender John Gibson deserved to win both games for the Red Wings as he did everything he could except stand on his head to give his offense a chance to come through. Gibson, so far this season, has stopped 43 of 47 shots that he's faced in the first two games of the season.

It does not help him that former captain Dylan Larkin who really helps on the offensive side of things has demanded a trade out of Detroit. But to stop 43/47 for a save percentage of .915 in the first two games, screamed that the offense did not do enough to help out their goaltender.

Gibson absolutely deserved to win both games and should have had his team out to a 2-0 start to the season. But with the Red Wings not having a lot of places to go on offense outside of Alex Debrincat and Lucas Raymond, there are not many answers to find just yet this year.

Red Wings Offense Could Doom GIbson Sooner Rather Than Later

The Detroit Red Wings celebrate a goal by forward Viktor Arvidsson (33) Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Red Wings do not figure out how to score more on offense and help out Gibson in games, it could doom them for the season in the blink of an eye. It is a lot to deal with: the drama with Larkin, and now the escalated drama with Simon Edvinsson.

But if the organization keeps letting these guys be distractions and letting it affect their on-ice performance, their season could be over really soon, even though it just started. The Red Wings also deal with being in a super tough Atlantic Division with teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Buffalo Sabers.

There are no shortages of good teams that come from the Atlantic division. McClellan needs to have some sort of team meeting with his guys before it gets to be too late.

The Red Wings have now lost two very winnable home games to begin their year. The entire team is in need of a spark to get out of this slump and headed in the right direction. If McLelland was right, it is possible that Larkin could join the team again on the ice in Game 3 on Tuesday.

They need to figure out the issue and solve it soon before it gets even uglier.