Daniil Tarasov just put his name in the history books in the Red Wings‘ shutout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
“Tarasov’s shutout was his second in his nine appearances with Detroit. Only three netminders have done so in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68): Kevin Hodson (six games from 1995-96 – 1996-97), Ville Husso (seven games in 2022-23) and Jared Coreau (eight games in 2016-17).”
It was a strange way to pick up two shutouts in nine appearances. Go back to Oct. 10, when Tarasov was in the net against the Montreal Canadiens. He stopped 30 shots on goal that night, going 65 minutes without allowing Montreal’s high-octane group to score.
Yet, he finished the game with an OT/SO loss, since Detroit couldn’t upend Montreal in the shootout. While Tarasov joined some exclusive company on Saturday night, he actually lost his first shutout appearance.
Daniil Tarasov Dominated The Tampa Bay Lightning Despite Circumstances
Tampa Bay entered Saturday night as one of the NHL’s hottest and most high-octane teams. The Red Wings entered as one of the coldest teams in the league, riding a five-game losing streak.
Then Tarasov turned around and shut out the Lightning. What’s more? Tampa outshot Detroit 31-22. The Lightning went on the power play twice while Detroit never had a power-play opportunity. Tampa also outmuscled Detroit, with 39 hits on the evening.
Tarasov saved all 31 shots and earned himself First Star of the Game honors. For Detroit, this one could have greater implications. The Red Wings didn’t play their best game on Saturday, and hardly anyone gave them a chance to win — let alone shut out Tampa.
It was one of those games when the netminder stepped up and made big saves. To Detroit’s credit, they responded with two goals.
Red Wings Are No Doubt Facing A Goaltender Controversy
There has got to be an obvious goaltender controversy following Tarasov’s shutout. He now has a .930 save percentage in nine appearances, a 3-3-2 record, a .571 quality starts percentage, and two shutouts. He had a GAA of 2.10 entering Saturday night.
As for incumbent starter John Gibson? He is 4-7-1 with an .862 save percentage, a 3.58 GAA, zero shutouts, and a .308 quality starts percentage. This time last year, Gibson had an identical record before he started playing in vintage form.
But here’s the kicker: Daniil Tarasov is not Cam Talbot. Talbot was an aging goaltender perfectly content with sliding into a backup role. Tarasov is in his age-27 season and looked good in his previous stops with Columbus and Florida.
There is little doubt that Tarasov will see more time in the crease following yet another strong performance. He has had his off-nights, but Tarasov has fared far better in more of his starts than Gibson. In the coming games, it will be interesting to see what Detroit does with its two goalies.
Red Wings Goalie Joins Exclusive Company Following Shutout in the Strangest Way