Anaheim’s in desperate need for wins and, as a result, is rolling the dice a bit in goal tonight.
John Gibson, who exited Wednesday’s ugly 4-0 home loss to Toronto after a collision with Nazem Kadri, will be back in net when Anaheim hosts St. Louis at Honda on Friday.
Gibson, who made his first-ever NHL All-Star Game earlier this week, returned to practice yesterday, with Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau declaring his health “100 percent.”
It’s a little surprising the Ducks wouldn’t give Gibson a night off to rest, especially with a capable goalie like Frederik Andersen waiting in the wings.
Of course, Gibson is 8-5-2 with a 1.75 GAA and .929 save percentage since his recall, helping Anaheim force itself back into the playoff picture in the lowly Pacific Division. So maybe it’s not surprising Boudreau is going this direction.
No word on a Blue starter yet.
Elsewhere...
-- Looks as though Jonas Gustavsson will give Tuukka Rask a night off as Boston plays in New Jersey. The Devils, as per usual, are going with Cory Schneider.
-- After a strong outing on Tuesday (29 saves on 31 shots in a loss to Minnesota), Anton Forsberg gets the start again for Columbus. Cam Ward’s in goal for the host Hurricanes.
-- Chad Johnson for Buffalo, Corey Crawford for Chicago as the Sabres take on the ‘Hawks at the United Center.
-- No rest for Semyon Varlamov tonight, as he’ll continue to start for the Avs during their lengthy homestand. He’ll likely be up against Pekka Rinne, who looks to have the start for Nashville.
-- Cam Talbot gets another start when the Oilers host the Bolts in Edmonton. No word yet on a Tampa Bay starter.