WINNIPEG – Todd McLellan expects his leaders to lead.
When the Detroit Red Wings coach saw veteran goaltender John Gibson take exception to a questionable hit from Morgan Barron — leaving his crease to confront his opponent near the penalty box — he wasn’t the least bit bothered.
“He has fire,” McLellan said. “If he was a forward he’d probably have 100 penalty minutes. He just has that emotion and he’s fiery. We don’t mind that.
“We obviously don’t want him not being able to play but your leaders drive the team emotionally and I consider him a leader.”
Gibson complemented that fire with calmness between the pipes, backstopping his club with 26 saves in a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in front of a packed house at Canada Life Centre Saturday night.
The 32-year-old netminder has now won eight consecutive starts, dating back to a Jan. 5 win over Ottawa. Gibson has recorded one shutout over that stretch, while allowing just one goal three times and never more than three.
In 32 games, Gibson is 21-9-1 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. He forms a formidable tandem with Cam Talbot (11-7-4), giving Detroit two reliable options.
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“We have full trust in both of them and they’re making the big saves when we need it,” said Wings forward J.T. Compher, who scored two goals. “Because as good as we want to play, we want to be as detailed as possible, not give up chances. But they’re going to get chances, and both those guys are giving us a chance every time they’re in the net.”
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With the victory, the Red Wings (32-16-5) have recorded points in their last five games (4-0-1). The Jets (20-24-7) have now lost four of their last five.
While the Red Wings continue to climb the standings — moving into first place in the Atlantic Division with the victory — the Jets continue to spiral. The reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners sit seventh in the Central Division, and the frustration is starting to boil over.
“That was one of the most embarrassing games for me in the last month. All of us,” a visibly frustrated Jets head coach Scott Arniel said. “That was an embarrassing game. We were looking for a pond hockey game, don’t get hit, don’t hit anybody, just play an easy soft game. That is pretty much what we did for two periods and then it exploded in the third.”
After a scoreless first period, the teams traded goals in the second.
Cole Koepke broke the deadlock for Winnipeg, snapping a 5-on-5 scoreless drought of 235 minutes and 48 seconds that dated back to Jan. 17 against Toronto. Compher tied it 1-1 late in the middle frame.
Detroit took over in the third, erupting for four goals to put the game out of reach.
Compher netted his second of the night at 1:43 to make it 2-1, followed by a goal from Lucas Raymond at 8:11. Alex DeBrincat hit the empty net at 18:11, and Marco Kasper rounded out the scoring at 18:43.
DeBrincat and Kasper also added assists to join Compher with multi-point nights. Patrick Kane collected an assist, bringing him within one point of tying Mike Modano for the most career points by a U.S.-born player.
Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for Winnipeg in his fourth straight loss.
“We are fighting for our lives, and we go out and lay that egg. It is not good enough,” Arniel said. “It was the last game in the homestand and, you know what, we are heading out on the road in some real tough buildings. That was two points we needed badly and it wasn’t good enough.”
The Red Wings swept the season series 2-0. It is the first time Detroit has defeated Winnipeg twice in a single season since the franchise relocated from Atlanta in 2011.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2026.
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