Ducks’ John Gibson returns Thursday following seven-game absence due to lower-body injury

Anaheim Ducks veteran goaltender John Gibson will start Thursday versus the Nashville Predators, marking his first appearance since being sidelined for seven games with a lower-body injury, Ducks head coach Greg Cronin confirmed per Derek Lee of The Hockey News.

In all, the 2024-25 campaign has been hampered by injuries for Gibson who beyond his recent ailment also missed a three-game stretch in February due to an upper-body injury. Gibson also missed the first 12 games of the season after undergoing an appendectomy.

On the season, Gibson has made 26 appearances with the Ducks in which he has posted a 9-10-2 showing alongside a .909 save percentage and 2.82 goals-against average.

Now in his 12th season with the Ducks, Gibson was originally chosen 39th overall by Anaheim in the 2011 NHL Draft. In the ensuing years, Gibson has established a 202-216-63 career record coupled with a .910 save percentage, 2.89 goals-against average, and 24 shutouts. In 2017-18, Gibson put together a career year in which he won 31 of 60 games while posting a .926 save percentage, 2.43 goals against average, and four shutouts.

In 26 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Gibson has notched 11 wins with a .912 save percentage, 2.80 goals-against average, and one shutout.

Per PuckPedia, the 31-year-old Pittsburgh native is in the sixth year of an eight-year contract that carries a $6.4-million annual average value and a 10-team no-trade clause.

Entering Thursday’s contest against the Predators, the Ducks sit 29-31-8 and nine points back of the Pacific Division rival Vancouver Canucks for the second wildcard seed in the Western Conference. The Ducks have won both prior contests against the Predators this season including a 5-2 victory in late January as well as a 2-1 decision last Friday. Anaheim last qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2018.