Gibson allowed two goals on 33 shots in the Ducks loss in Vegas on Saturday. Gibson opened the season with back-to-back losses in Vegas but stopped 55 of the 61 shots that he faced (.902 SV%), so he’s off to a decent start to the season. Tonight he faces a Wild team that he was 1-1-0 with an .898 SV% in 2020.
Talbot gave up three goals on 33 shots in the Wild’s win in Los Angeles on Saturday. Talbot has had a steady start to the season, opening the year at 2-0 while stopping 61 of the 67 shots (.910 SV%) that he’s faced. On Monday he has a strong chance to move to 3-0 against an Anaheim team that is searching for offence early in the season.
With Robby Fabbri out because of COVID-19 protocol, Rasmussen will make his season debut on Monday afternoon. Rasmussen will centre Detroit's second line and comes in after picking up 18 points (5G / 13A) in 18 games with Graz EC during his COVID loan in the Austria's top league.
Gibson started 50-plus games for the third time in 2020 but set career-worts in GAA (3.00) and SV% (.904) behind a Ducks team that finished with the fifth-worst record in the NHL. Anaheim didn't too much to improve this offseason, so it could be a similar storyline in 2021 and he should especially be avoided tonight in Vegas. Gibson was 1-2-1 with a 4.48 GAA and .878 SV% in four games vs. the Golden Knights a season ago.
After bouncing between Edmonton, Philadelphia and Calgary over the last two seasons, Talbot landed in Minnesota on a three-year deal this offseason. Talbot was rock steady in 26 games for the Flames a season ago, posting a .919 SV% and was even better in the playoffs with a .924. He's a vastly under appreciated netminder and should have a solid season behind a Wild team that is one of the stiffest defensive teams in the NHL.
Hamonic was in Canucks training camp on a PTO but was always expected to sign before the season. Hamonic inked a very team-friendly, one-year deal and is expected to start the season on the second-pair with Quinn Hughes. The 30-year-old defenseman averaged five goals, 13 assists, 71 hits and 170 blocked shots per-82 games in his three seasons with the Flames.
Appleton produced high-end numbers at Michigan State and in the AHL but has just 18 points (8G / 10A) in 82 career NHL games. Given the Jets' solid depth on the wing, Appleton will likely be a fourth liner for the duration of 2021, making it unlikely for his numbers to improve.
Dries spent almost all of 2020 in the AHL, scoring 21 goals with 14 assists (35 points) in 50 games with the Colorado Eagles. The 26-year-old did appear in five game with the Avalanche and now has six points (3G / 3A) in 45 career NHL games. With the Avalanche having one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL, Dries is likely destined for the AHL in 2021.
