BUFFALO, NY – Cam Talbot is eager for another start, and may get one as soon as this weekend.
After a minor tweak that forced the Detroit Red Wings to call up a goalie from the minor leagues to have in case of an emergency, Talbot was back on the ice on Friday, March 27, at KeyBank Center for the morning skate.
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“I didn’t feel like it was smart to go on the ice, so I took a day off and went out today,” Talbot said. “Felt good. We’ll see how it responds.”
John Gibson was earmarked to make his 10th straight start in the evening’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Michal Postava was called up Thursday afternoon in case Talbot isn’t available to back up. From how Talbot and coach Todd McLellan sounded after the morning skate, there’s optimism Talbot will be available if the Wings want to start him Saturday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers. Talbot’s last start was March 4.
Detroit Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot (39) looks on at a timeout against Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
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Talbot, 38, missed Thursday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, prompting the Wings to bring in Postava from the Grand Rapids Griffins. He’s never appeared in an NHL game, while Sebastian Cossa (a first-round pick from 2021) has appeared in one NHL game, coming in in relief on Dec. 9, 2024, in a game at the Buffalo Sabres, which he won in a shootout. Cossa was called up earlier this month while Gibson was sidelined by an upper-body injury for a brief spell.
Asked about Postava getting the call-up this time, McLellan said that, “there wasn’t much of a discussion. First, we think Talbs is going to be OK. Secondly, timing, the time of day when all this went down. Obviously, Cossa is a real important piece in our organization, but he had gone through quite a heavy workload. Postava was supposed to play [Thursday in Cleveland], so he hadn’t gone through a workload. So everything got switched up.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save on Ottawa Senators right wing Drake Batherson (19) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save on Ottawa Senators right wing Drake Batherson (19) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot (8) battle for the puck in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) skates with the puck in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher (37) and Ottawa Senators right wing Claude Giroux (28) bro in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) os on Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) os on Ottawa Senators center Ridly Greig (71) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Detroit Red Wings host Atlantic rival Ottawa Senators at LCA
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) and Ottawa Senators center Tim StŸtzle (18) battle for the puck in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
“We think we’re going to be fine with Talib and Gibby for both tonight and tomorrow.”
Gibson, 32, has started every game since March 6, playing 515 minutes (he was relieved for the third period March 8 after getting hit by the puck).
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“Gibby’s checked in on a regular basis, not just by the coaches, but by the goaltending department, by the trainers, the sports science people, and his numbers are all real good right now,” McLellan said. “If we saw a dip in energy level or function, then we would be concerned. But at this point, with 11 games left, he’s good to go. Do we want to play him back-to-back? We probably don’t. But we’ll figure that out after the game tonight.”
The Wings haven’t started the same goalie in back-to-back situations all season, so unless Talbot doesn’t feel whatever he tweaked is up to par, he may finally see more than 20 minutes in a game for the first time in weeks.
“I haven’t started in the last nine or ten games, but I’ve gone into a couple of those games and they’ve been close,” Talbot said. “I’ve either had to close it out or go into a tie game and find a way to win. I try to do a good job in practice. I’m always ready to compete, always working hard in practice, off the ice, keeping my conditioning up and stuff like that. This is a different situation than I’ve been in for a very long time, but I feel like I’ve been managing it properly.
“Whenever the time comes to get a game, I’ll be ready and I’m looking forward to it.”
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Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Cam Talbot encouraged about return to Detroit Red Wings after injury