The New Jersey Devils will get back Brian Gibbons tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. He’s been out since January 20th with a broken thumb.
The New Jersey Devils get another player to help in their playoff push, with Brian Gibbons returning to the lineup. He’s missed the past 22 games after breaking his thumb against the Philadelphia Flyers. He was once a huge part of this offense, and could possibly bring that back to the Devils when they need it.
Gibbons was in a major scoring slump when he got hurt, but at one point he actually led the Devils in goals. This seems insane after the run we’ve seen Taylor Hall go on, but it’s true. Going into December, Gibbons had 11 goals, the most in his career. Now, the 30 year old has just 12 on the season.
That means Gibbons scored just one goal over two months. After such a promising start, the Devils need much more from him in this current stretch.
It was a major question who was coming out of the lineup when Gibbons returned. With the trade deadline additions of Michael Grabner and Patrick Maroon, there seems to be a logjam at the forward position. The Devils don’t have to make a hard decision just yet, as Pavel Zacha is going to miss tonight’s game with an injury. However, it could be something John Hynes has to address in the future.
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Even with his scoring slump, Gibbons still brings something to the table. He’s a great penalty killer, and there was a stretch where you could see why the Devils missed him facing power plays. The Devils penalty kill has been superb as of late, allowing just one goal in the last 19 opportunities.
Gibbons is also an opportunist. We saw that with his overtime goal against the Detroit Red Wings. He can put himself in position to steal a puck or jump a pass and give him a great offensive chance.
It’s good to have Gibbons back, but one would hope this time off will help up see the October version of the winger. He’s going to come back rested, and hopefully fully healthy.