Michal Postava Wins His First NHL Start, Stopping McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins in the Shootout
Red Wings rookie Michal Postava made 25 saves and went 3-for-3 in the shootout in a 4-3 win at Edmonton. Detroit hosts Chicago on Thursday, and the team has not said who starts.
Last updated
Result: Postava started and won. Michal Postava, making his first NHL start, made 25 saves through regulation and overtime and then denied all three Edmonton shooters as the Detroit Red Wings won 4-3 in a shootout at Rogers Place on Monday, NHL.com reports. Lucas Raymond scored the only shootout goal.
MLive's Ansar Khan reports that the three shooters Postava stopped were Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He also made a late save on Evan Bouchard with nine seconds left in overtime to get the game to a shootout, according to NHL.com. Dylan Larkin had tied it 3-3 late in the third period with Postava pulled for an extra skater.
The numbers
- Postava: 25 saves (NHL.com and MLive), plus 3-for-3 in the shootout. It was his second NHL game. He debuted in relief of John Gibson in last Thursday's 5-2 win at Vancouver, stopping seven of eight shots (NHL.com).
- Tristan Jarry (Oilers): 26 saves and the shootout loss, per NHL.com. Edmonton is 8-2-2.
- Club history: NHL.com notes Postava is the third Red Wings goalie in the past 25 years to win his first NHL start, after Petr Mrazek in 2013 and Jimmy Howard in 2005.
Why Detroit's crease is in flux
Postava, 24, was recalled from AHL Grand Rapids last week after backup Daniil Tarasov was hurt in practice, and he got into his first game when Gibson left the Vancouver game in the third period, MLive reports. Gibson dressed as the backup in Edmonton, per the NHL.com box score. Detroit (5-4-3) finished its four-game trip 2-1-1.
Who starts next?
Unconfirmed. The Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, Oct. 29 (7:30 p.m. ET), their first game back from the trip. Detroit has not said whether Postava keeps the net or Gibson returns, and we have not seen a new update on Tarasov. Thursday's game is on the new Oct. 29 board, which we will update once the team or a beat reporter names a starter.
Our preview of the start is here, and the Oct. 26 board has every Monday starter with sources. For tonight's games, see the Tuesday board and the Red Wings tag page. Nothing here is betting advice.