Back on December 7th, the Sharks overcame a
3-0 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings, eventually winning in overtime. As
the Sharks start 2024, they returned the favor to Detroit who overcame a 3-2
Sharks lead in the 3rd period before San Jose let the game slip through their
fingers. More rest and a home game against a team that had to travel across the
country to play didn't provide any benefit to the Sharks who have lost 9 games
in a row.
With an 11 game losing streak already under their belts, the
Sharks look a lot like a team that is incapable of winning. That's a bad look
when you have a 3rd period lead at home, but the Sharks seemingly find ways to
gag up games of late.
This one was a combination of weak goaltending
and special teams play that is woefully inadequate.
Detroit took
advantage of a Calen Addison tripping penalty that was committed at 4:18 of the
opening frame. Daniel Sprong collected a Lucas Raymond feed parked in the slot
and fired a shot that squeezed through Kaapo Kahkonen for his 10th goal of the
season.
The Sharks leveled things up at 16:50 when Fabian Zetterlund
jammed a puck past Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon. The puck worked past Lyon,
then sat precariously perched behind him but a few inches in front of the goal
line. When he tried to reach back and grab the puck, he lost the handle on it
pushing it into his own goal.
Kahkonen put his team in a hole at the 6:07 mark of
the 2nd period when he let a soft one get past him. J.T. Compher carried the
puck to the top of the right circle and sent a routine shot at the Sharks net.
Kahkonen was late to react to the shot, allowing it to squeeze past him for the
2-1 Red Wings lead.
Justin Bailey helped the Sharks get to the 2nd
intermission tied by scoring his 2nd goal of the season with 66 seconds left in
the period. San Jose worked the puck out of the left corner out to the left
point where Mario Ferraro sent a shot in on net. Bailey was skating toward the
net from the left dot where he redirected the shot downward with his stick
blade. The Puck bounced off the ice, then skid passed Lyon to make it a 2-2
game.
Alexander Barabanov gave the Sharks their first lead of the
night 9:24 into the 3rd period. The Sharks forward pursued a puck along the end
boards near the right corner, then skated out to the bottom of the right circle
before pivoting back to face the net and unleash a shot. Lyon was screened by
Jack Studnicka and never saw Baranaov's shot.
Jan Rutta was called for
a suspect hold at 9:53, setting up the Red Wings 3rd power play of the night.
Detroit would cash in a second time on the man advantage when David Perron
scored on a one-time chance from the left circle.
Dylan Larkin was
sent for slashing Addison at 11:18, but the Sharks special teams had an
unproductive game.
William Eklund was called for high sticking Jake
Walman when his shot caught the Red Wings defenseman on the follow through of a
shot. Oddly the on-ice officials reviewed the play to confirm the call.
Detroit grabbed the lead that counted at 18:30 when Perron through the
puck at the front of the net from the right wing boards. The puck hit Sharks
defender Kyle Burroughs as he was fighting off Larkin, deflecting it past
Kahkonen for the 4-3 Red Wings lead.
Game Notes: *
Mario Ferraro played after he was knocked out of the Sharks game versus
Colorado on New Year's Eve. Ferraro suffered a rib injury after Nathan McKinnon
hit him in the 1st period of the Sharks 3-1 loss to Colorado.
*
Mackenzie Blackwood was the backup for the second straight game, after being a
medical scratch against Los Angeles and Edmonton. It's not clear if Blackwood
is still feeling the effects of the illness that he's been battling.
*
The Sharks have allowed 41 goals over their current 9-game losing streak, which
is an average of 4.55 goals per game.
* Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Kevin
Labanc and Nikita Okhotiuk were scratched. It was the 18th healthy scratch of
the season for Vlasic.
* Defenseman Ty Emberson was a +3 on the night.
William Eklund was a -3.
