John Gibson stymies Canucks in first Red Wings shutout

John Gibson made 39 saves for his first shutout as a member of the Red Wings, and Detroit moved into first place in the Atlantic Division with a 4-0 victory over the host Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

It was the 25th career shutout for Gibson and his first since Jan. 4, 2023, when he led the Anaheim Ducks to a 2-0 win over the Dallas Stars. Gibson shut out the Canucks for the fourth time in his career -- his top total against any NHL team.

James van Riemsdyk, Andrew Copp, Nate Danielson and Dylan Larkin scored goals and defenseman Axel Sandlin-Pellikka had two assists for Detroit, which extended its point streak to five games (3-0-2) with its second straight win.

Kevin Lankinen stopped 10 of 13 shots for Vancouver before giving way to rookie Nikita Tolopilo at the start of the third period. Tolopilo finished with six saves for the Canucks, who lost for the eighth time in 10 games (2-7-1).

Detroit took a 1-0 lead at 14:14 of the first period when van Riemsdyk extended his goal streak to a career-high four games. J.T. Compher got the primary assist, winning a board battle behind the net and then making a one-arm pass to van Riemsdyk in front of the crease. van Riemsdyk backhanded in his own rebound for his sixth goal in the last seven games.

The Red Wings extended the lead to 3-0 near the end of the second period with two goals in the span of 37 seconds. Copp, on the left doorstep, got the first at 15:15 when he tipped in a crossing pass from the right circle by Sandlin-Pellikka. Danielson, stationed in front of the crease, got the next one when he redirected Sandlin-Pellikka's one-timer through Lankinen's pads.

Vancouver pulled Tolopilo for an extra attacker with 5:16 remaining, and Larkin sealed the win with an empty-netter with 4:31 to go, his team-leading 16th goal of the season.

--Field Level Media