Christopher Gibson showed Thursday night why there’s no other goaltender in the same conversation when discussing season superlatives.

Gibson, whose sparkling goals-against average (2.11) and save percentage (.925) are by far and away best in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, improved on those numbers Thursday at Centre Georges Vezina at the Lewiston Maineiacs’ expense, making 36 saves — including 16 in the third period alone — to register his fourth shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Maineiacs.

“We can’t expect to start the way we did and win games,” Maineiacs’ coach J.F. Houle said. “We started slow again, something we can’t do.”

After a relatively tame first period, during which the Sagueneens relied on the 17-year-old keeper for only four stops, the hosts collapsed around him while Lewiston ramped up the pressure.

But the Maineiacs couldn’t solve him.

“He’s in control all the time,” Houle said. “We wrapped around a lot of pucks, and he was always at his post. He played really well (Thursday).”

Special teams again played a factor for Lewiston, and not in a good way. Two of the Sags’ goals occurred on the power play. Their third was a late-game empty-netter. The Maineiacs, meanwhile, were scoreless in four chances with an extra skater.

“We took some bad penalties, I think,” Houle said. “They were 2-for-7 on the power play and we didn’t score. I thought we had some good chances, but (Gibson) made some really good saves, too.”

The loss also puts the Maineiacs in a precarious position in the standings. at 36-21-0-2, Lewiston has fallen to eighth overall in the league standings, and is just eight points up on Victoriaville in ninth. More importantly, the Maineiacs are now two points out of seventh and four out of fifth for position in the race for playoff matchups.

“Every game is important, every point is important,” Houle said. “We’ve only got nine games left now.”

Jonathan Bonneau netted his first of two on the game late in the first on one of the Sagueneens’ seven power plays. Charles Hudon reached the 20-goal plateau early in the second to double the lead, and that cushion was more than enough for Gibson.

Bonneau added an empty-netter in the final minute of the contest to ice the game for the Sags.

Lewiston is back in action Friday night in Drummondville, and will host the Voltigeurs on Sunday at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.