John Gibson is proving to be a fan of the holiday season.
The veteran goaltender has strung together a perfect December, winning all eight of his starts this month and setting a new career high in consecutive victories.
Gibson had previously tied his personal best of seven straight wins during his time with the Anaheim Ducks. Over this streak, he has posted a .927 save percentage and a 2.12 goals-against average, giving the Detroit Red Wings a much-needed boost heading into the Christmas break.
For the season, Gibson now holds a 12-7-1 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage. While those numbers reflect the team’s early struggles, his hot streak is a reminder of the elite goaltender Gibson once was.
Between 2015 and 2018, he ranked among the NHL’s top netminders, compiling a 77-47-20 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage over 152 appearances. He finished his tenure in Anaheim with 506 games played, posting a 204-217-63 record, a 2.89 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage.
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Several teams, including the Oilers, Mammoth, Sharks, and Flyers, reportedly explored trades for Gibson, but Detroit ultimately became the landing spot for the Pittsburgh native. The Red Wings acquired him from the Ducks during the summer draft, sending Petr Mrazek, a 2027 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick to Anaheim. The Ducks, shifting toward a younger core, moved on from their longtime starter as Lukas Dostal took on a larger share of the workload.
🗣️ GIBBAYYYY
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 9, 2025
John Gibson's 39-save shutout is last night's @xfinity game-changing moment! pic.twitter.com/cSJbjx6DmE
If Gibson’s current form continues, Detroit could be witnessing the return of a goaltender who once stood among the NHL’s best. His play could prove pivotal as the Red Wings aim for their first playoff berth in nearly a decade. Detroit has won nine of its last 12 games, tying with the Colorado Avalanche for the best record in the NHL during December.
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We’ve finally reached the Christmas break, meaning the Montreal Canadiens have a few days off to enjoy the holidays before resuming the grind of the NHL schedule for a final blitz before the Olympic break.
What do you think would be in the Habs’ players’ letters to Santa if they were even younger than they actually are? How about the coach’s? And the Owner?
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The easiest one to tackle has got to be Martin St-Louis. Over the last few years, the bench boss has been talking about needing his young team to play with consistency. No more rollercoaster, just predictable play that doesn’t have the coach looking to the heavens and wondering how his team could play so well one night and then commit silly mistakes the next day. I don’t know if Santa could oblige, but the coach would definitely ask for consistency.
There’s another one that’s almost as obvious as St-Louis’, Kaiden Guhle’s. The 23-year-old defenseman has spent so much time in the infirmary that he’s been in there more than on the ice over the course of his NHL career. That might be an exaggeration, but that’s what it feels like to the fans, the media and probably the organization and Guhle himself. There’d be just one wish on the gritty blueliner’s letter: health.
While most people receive their gifts on Christmas, some will have to wait until December 31 this year, when Olympic rosters will be announced. There are at least three players on the Habs that would ask the man in red for a roster spot in the best-on-best tournament: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson.
Not long ago, Caufield was his country’s most prolific goal scorer, but he was stuck on 17 goals for seven games and has been overtaken by a few of his fellow citizens. Meanwhile, Hutson still hasn’t got the big body needed to play the kind of hockey Team USA wants to play. As for Suzuki, he might have the best chance of the three to get a plane ticket to Milan, but it’s not a done deal yet, despite his 40 points in 36 games, which is the eighth-highest total amongst Canadian players.
As for Samuel Montembeault, his hopes of playing in the Olympics, which seemed justified less than 12 months ago when he made the 4 Nations Face-Off, are long gone, and they’re probably not even playing on his mind right now. If he could ask Santa for one thing, it would likely be his confidence, something that is oh so important for a goaltender, and he appears to have lost somewhere along the way. That’s where finding his game back starts.
Rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen would possibly ask for what Hutson got last year, a Calder Trophy. It would be hard for St. Nicholas to pick between the two, though. They have both been nice kids this season; no one’s been naughty…Maybe they settle for both getting a nomination?
As for owner Geoff Molson, there’s no doubt he’d ask for a Stanley Cup, but there’s a limit to what Santa can do, and the owner will have to wait some more before he drinks from Lord Stanley’s mug.
If you are part of those who celebrate, merry Christmas and enjoy some lovely time with your friends, your family, and your loved ones!
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It was yet another successful slate of games last weekend for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (WBS) Penguins, who can't seem to stop collecting points.
And two young Pittsburgh Penguins' goaltending prospects have been leading the way for the WBS Penguins - as well as the AHL as a whole.
Young netminder Sergei Murashov earned wins on Friday and Sunday, while Joel Blomqvist was the standout in a 3-2 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday, as he stopped 32 of 35 Hartford shots on goal. Murashov and Blomqvist have combined to make a formidable tandem for WBS this season, and their play has elevated an already-talented team.
Murashov, 21, has simply continued to dominate the AHL level. He leads the AHL in both save percentage (.943) and goals-against average (1.55), and he is 10-2-0 with two shutouts. His latest performance on Sunday - a 3-1 win over the Hershey Bears - featured 26 saves on 27 shots, including 14 in the first period alone.
And back on Dec. 10, Murashov made 20 saves in the first period en route to a 3-0 shutout victory against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
As has been mentioned many times before, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound netminder has dominated every level of professional hockey he's played at, and his video game-esque numbers this season are showing that his full-time NHL arrival is not far off. He does have five NHL games under his belt this season, posting a 1-1-2 record with an .897 save percentage and a 2.56 goals-against average.
Crosby Reaches Milestone For Second Consecutive GameThe big milestone may have come for <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' captain Sidney Crosby on Sunday against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens">Montreal Canadiens</a>, when he surpassed Mario Lemieux <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/latest-news/breaking-sidney-crosby-breaks-mario-lemieux-s-franchise-record-to-become-penguins-all-time-leader-in-points">to become the Penguins' all-time leader in points</a>.
As for Blomqvist? Well, after an injury caused him to miss most of training camp and the first month and a half of the AHL season, he has gotten off to a great start.
In eight games, he is 5-2-1 with a .935 save percentage and a 1.81 goals-against average. Aside from one start on Nov. 29 - when he allowed four goals on 12 shots - he has only had a save percentage below .930 in a game one time.
This is impressive stuff from the 23-year-old, who debuted with the Penguins last season to some mixed results. He started off well in his first stint with the NHL club, posting a .903 save percentage across eight appearances, but his second stint didn't go nearly as well. Overall, he had an .885 save percentage and a 3.81 goals-against average.
The results that the Penguins are getting from these two youngsters in WBS is a very encouraging sign, especially for a team that just traded its No. 1 goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers in Tristan Jarry. The NHL club is giving Stuart Skinner - who the Penguins acquired in that trade - and Arturs Silovs some runway to prove themselves, but with the team in freefall, it stands to reason that at least one of them could have a relatively short leash.
Penguins Prospect Makes Team USA World Junior TeamPittsburgh Penguins prospect Will Horcoff has made the Team USA World Junior team.Silovs has struggled in recent games, posting an .815 save percentage over his last six appearances. Skinner has an .831 save percentage in three starts with the Penguins so far. In other words, neither has done a particularly stellar job up to this point to suggest that they can become starters at the NHL level.
Murashov has the quickness, athleticism, calmness, and confidence for a pretty high NHL ceiling, and many believe he can be a solution going foward for the Penguins. Blomqvist also has some pedigree, even if he has struggled to stay healthy over the last several years.
All in all, it will be interesting to see how the Penguins handle their goaltending situation for the rest of the season, especially since the team has only won one game in its last 10 after a remarkable 8-2-2 start to the season in the month of October. Both Murashov and Blomqvist figure to be key parts of the Penguins' future, and the future may just get here a little faster than anyone could have anticipated.
Takeaways: Penguins' Push Comes Up Short, Maple Leafs' Stars Come Up BigAfter a dramatic 4-3 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> hoped to carry some of that momentum into their final game before the holiday break on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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Last Friday, the Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens made a deal that sends Phillip Danault back to Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL draft.
Although it has been almost a week since the trade was made, rumours continue to swirl surrounding the messy breakup between Danault and the Kings.
According to 'The Fourth Periods' David Pagnotta, the Carolina Hurricanes were interested in acquiring the 32-year-old veteran center but talks fell through as the Kings were reportedly not interested in a certain asset that Carolina was offering. So instead, Ken Holland and the LA front office decided to go with the Canadiens offer.
The Carolina Hurricanes were reportedly offering the Kings a package surrounding Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Los Angeles was seemingly not interested in bringing the 25-year-old forward. The Kings were reportedly uninterested in taking on the infamous Kotkanienmi contract.
The former third overall pick is currently on the fourth year of a massive eight year contract that pays him $4,820,000 annually. He is currently underperforming as the Canes third line center. In 20 games this season, Kotkaniemi has registered two goals and four assists for six points.
Despite seemingly having loads of potential and being drafted high, the Finnish native has only registered one 40+ point season which came back in the 2022-23 when he recorded 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points in 82 games during his second season with Carolina.
Much like Kotkaniemi, Danault has also been struggling as he remains goalless with just five assists in 31 games played this season. Although he isn't relied on to fill the stat sheet every night, Danault was still a consistent 40+ point guy for the Kings, so its not shock that a Stanley Cup contending team like the Hurricanes had interest in trading for him.
'I Had No Purpose': Danault Speaks For The First Time Since Trade From The KingsPhillip Danault has spoken for the first time since the Los Angeles Kings traded him to the Montreal Canadiens. It's clear he wasn't pleased with the way he was handled ahead of his return to Montreal.A swap involving the two struggling, and possibly disgruntled centers seems reasonable, as the two could greatly benefit from a change of scenery but in the end the Kings were reportedly uninterested in paying the remaining four years of Kotkaniemi's contract. So instead, they chose to send Danault back to Montreal where he originally made a name for himself. While Carolina keeps Kotkaniemi and potentially learn how teams value him across the league.
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