Anaheim Ducks’ John Gibson leaves game vs. Oilers with lower-body injury

Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson did not return to Friday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers for the third period due to a lower-body injury.

John Gibson has a lower-body injury and won't return to this game.

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) February 10, 2024

Gibson, 30, played the first two periods of the game, but did not return for the third, with backup goaltender Lukas Dostal taking over the crease. There’s no further information on what caused the injury or the severity of it.

Gibson left the game having allowed two goals on 21 shots for a .905% save percentage, with the game tied 2-2 going into the third period. The Ducks would go on to lose the game 5-3.

Gibson’s season has found him performing at the level that he’s hovered around for about five seasons after looking like one of the league’s best goaltenders in the first five seasons of his career. Going into Friday’s game, he had a 10-19-1 record and a .901% save% through 32 games, although for the first time during his stretch of mediocrity, it’s been due to the team in front of him, as he’s also managed a 13.67 goals saved above expected.

Despite his struggles, Gibson has been one of the better goalies in the league when his team is shorthanded. Since 2021-22, Gibson’s 7.6 shorthanded goals above replacement is tied for 14th amongst goalies.

Gibson is a second-round pick of the Ducks in the 2011 NHL Draft, and after three seasons mostly in the minors, with the latter two seeing him play some games in the NHL, he finally established himself as a consistent NHLer partway through the 2015-16 season. He’s since spent the past eight seasons as their starting goaltender.

Gibson is currently in the fifth year of an eight-year contract with a $6.4 million cap hit, one he signed as an extension before the 2018-19 season.

The Ducks will look to bounce back from their loss to the Oilers on Tuesday when they begin a four-game Eastern road trip in Montreal against the Canadiens at 7 p.m. EST. Anaheim currently sits in seventh in the Pacific Division with an 18-31-2 record, which is the third-worst record in the league.