yesterday 09:47
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Hockey goaltender John Gibson is the third in NHL history to exceed 50 saves in multiple games in one month. The Anaheim player blocked 51 shooting attempts on the ice of Florida, but his team lost 3-4 after overtime.
Just ten days ago, Gibson set a new Ducks goaltending record with 53 saves. However, his team lost in this match as well – they lost to Pittsburgh 3:6. “Gibby was really good, he held us up when we needed to. They kept trying and he did a great job.” said coach Dallas Eakins about the 29-year-old player for the official website of the NHL. The defender of the guests, John Klingberg, also shone with two assists, scoring in the fourth match in a row.
The qualities of the goalkeeper of the visitors were indirectly recognized by his counterpart Paul Maurice. “We were losing by a goal. Seven minutes before the end, however, we found out that we could have at least four more chances to score. If hockey karma exists, we were determined to score at least one goal. The match was quite one-sided, we just couldn’t overcome their goalkeeper.” said Maurice, whose team outshot the opposition 55-32.
Gibson’s performance earned him a place in the company of Al Rollins (Chicago Black Hawks) and Gump Worsley (New York Rangers). Rollins had two 50+ save games in October 1955, Worsley had three in January 1963.
Eric and Marc Staal took care of another historical record in the home team’s jersey. They became the sixth pair of brothers in the past decade to score in the same game for the same team. The elder of them dedicated his accurate shot to his children, who were on vacation for the national holiday. “The kids had their day today, so I had to be ready. I wanted to show them that there’s still something in me.” said the elder Eric, who reduced the score to 1:2 in the 23rd minute.
