John Gibson made his Detroit Red Wings exhibition debut Friday, perfectly timed to have him play in his hometown.
Gibson was one of the few NHL veterans the Wings took into their game Friday, Sept. 26, against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, which marked the Wings’ third of eight preseason outings. Instead the lineup was again heavy on young players, including Nate Danielson, Emmitt Finnie, Carter Bear, and minor leaguers.
The Wings gave up three straight goals and lost for the first time in the preseason, falling 3-2 to a Penguins lineup that likewise featured few regular NHL players.
John Leonard, a 27-year-old minor leaguer, made it 2-0 for the Wings in the first period. .
Connor Dewar scored on one of five Penguins shots on Gibson in the secodn period before he was, as planned replaced by newcomer Michal Postava, who finished the second half of a game for the second time in two nights.
It’s common practice for teams to switch up goaltenders during the preseason.
The Wings played 2021 first-round draft pick Sebastian Cossa all 60 minutes of their first exhibition game, against the Chicago Blackhawks, and split duties between veteran Cam Talbot and newcomer Michal Postava in the second one.