Red Wings-Sharks quick take: Wings hit seven losses despite strong efforts by Zetterberg, Nyquist, Bertuzzi

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 6-game losing streak while battling a team in a fight for its playoff life in the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.

The Red Wings could not rally from the multiple deficits they surrendered after taking a 1-0 lead only 5:01 into the 1st period–ultimately trying to battle back from a 3-1 and then a 4-2 deficit–and Detroit almost rallied, with Henrik Zetterberg scoring a milestone marker (he passed Ted Lindsay on the Wings’ all-time goal-scoring list), Gustav Nyquist playing strongly (1+1) and Tyler Bertuzzi posting 3 assists, but Detroit was out-hustled and out-desperation-ed by the playoff-hungry Sharks, losing 5-3 on an empty-net goal against.

Andreas Athanasiou (-3), Nick Jensen (-2) and Danny DeKeyser (-1) were among the Wings who had mistake-prone games, Evgeny Svechnikov (-2 in only 7:13 played) wasn’t great, and the Wings made just enough bad mistakes, “learning” mistakes or their concentration lapsed just enough to give the Sharks the breaks they needed to come away with the two points.

Detroit will get 2 days off before playing 3 games over the course of 3 nights, in Los Angeles (Thursday), Anahiem (Friday) and Colorado (Sunday), and the Wings will hustle home for an NBCSN game against Philadelphia on Monday the 19th.

The Sharks’ lineup was known before game time…

As was the Red Wings’ lineup:

San Jose started Mikkel Boedker, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl at forward, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun on defense and Martin Jones in goal.

Detroit started Darren Helm, Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha at forward, Jonathan Ericsson and Trevor Daley on defense and Jimmy Howard in goal.

Jake Brenk and Francois St. Laurent refereed the game, with Lonnie Cameron and Darren Gibbs working the lines.

The 1st period

1st period observations:

  • Larkin drew in for the opening faceoff vs. Hertl and lost the draw, so the SHarks set up and fired the puck into Detroit’s zone, negating an icing call. Hertl swept the puck deep, Ericsson chipped the puck around the boards and San Jose set up off a steal, with Couture centering for Hertl, and then Braun firing a shot that was blocked…
  • Helm and Larkin raced away from the pack and generated a scoring chance that contained no shot, and as Detroit held the puck in, Kronwall sent the first shot off Martin Jones’ chest 45 seconds in.
  • Detroit changed lines, and Donskoi, Kane and Pavelski fed the puck back to Burns for one and then two shot attempts, one of which hit Howard.
  • San Jose re-set at center with 1:40 gone, and Svechnikov, Zetterberg and Abdelkader were able to clear the puck down the ice to facilitate a line change.
  • Svechnikov, Athanasiou and Abdelkader worked the puck down low, with Athanasiou firing a shot off Jones’ stick shaft, and San Jose was able to clear the zone.
  • DeKeyser and Abdelkader played catch, Jensen helped clear the puck, and Detroit went offside.
  • Frk, Glendening and Witkowski drew in for a right blueline draw, they won the draw, and Ericsson jumped the gun trying to skate into the offensive zone, yielding another offside call.
  • 2:43 into the 1st period, Glendening and Witkowski shoved the puck in deep, Frk blasted the puck off a Shark out of play, and Detroit chose to stick with its fourth line for a deep offensive zone draw that was tied up.
  • Witkowski emerged with the puck, he lost it to Goodrow, and Detroit chipped and chased, with Frk and Ericsson giving and going.
  • The puck clanged off a stanchion and out to center ice, where the Wings changed again, and Larkin, Mantha and Helm returned to the ice.
  • Mantha worked the puck into the offensive zone, Vlasic poke checked the puck away, and San Jose jabbed the puck into the Wings’ zone for a moment, but Detroit attacked via a Helm-to-Larkin play and Jones had to make a big stop.
  • 4:21 into the 1st, Mantha was able to walk into a slap shot via Zetterberg’s pass, and Jones made a big stop;
  • San Jose tried to respond, but Bertuzzi, Zetterberg and Nyquist were able to parry away the Sharks’ rushes, and Daley helped via a pinch…

And Daley’s pinch yielded an out-front dump by Zetterberg that was chipped into the net by Daley.

 Daley pinched via a Bertuzzi pass, he circled the net, dropped down into the slot and scored the 1-0 goal at 5:01 of the 1st. Bertuzzi and Zetterberg had the assists.

  • On the post-goal shift, Detroit continued to push with Svechnikov, Athanasiou and Abdelkader parrying some Sharks rushes, and Frk, Glendening and Witkowski worked the puck out front for Witkowski, who was unable to shoot.
  • San Jose penetrated the Wings’ zone, but Detroit responded with Witkowski, Larkin and Helm cycling, and as Larkin was dumped, the Sharks took a penalty.

Barclay Goodrow headed to the penalty box at 6:31, for tripping.

  • At 6:31, Detroit was out-shooting San Jose 7-1 and out-attempting San Jose 9-3; hits 2-1 Detroit; giveaways 2-0 Detroit; takeaways 0-0; blocked shots 1-0 San Jose; faceoffs 3-2 Detroit (60%).
  • Detroit lost the deep offensive zone faceoff but ground out the puck down low, and Green helped keep the puck in for a moment before he was jammed by Hertl. Detroit chipped and chased, Green held the puck in again, Mantha worked the puck to the slot and Bertuzzi, Frk and Larkin were unable to beat the Sharks’ man advantage down low.
  • Detroit re-entered the zone with Kronwall setting up, Larkin and Mantha coughed up the puck, and San Jose’s Burns cleared the zone with 12:20 remaining in the 1st.
  • The Wings executed the Kronwall drop pass and skated into the Sharks’ zone, but Zetterberg lost the puck to Fehr, he raced in and Howard stopped the puck.
  • No whistle was blown as the Red Wings raced up ice, and Nyquist and Abdelkader skated up on a strong rush, but Jones made a stop and the whistle was blown as Fehr knocked the net off its moorings.
  • San Jose took the puck away on the next juncture, but Green and Kronwall dove back to stop his shorthanded rush.
  • Detroit was able to re-set and change lines some 8:50 into the 1st, and Larkin skated in, faked a pass and then fed it to Helm, the pass was blocked, and Larkin fed Ericsson, who cycled the puck down low to Glendening, who was held up.
  • San Jose chipped and chased but iced the puck.
  • San Jose raced away from the offensive zone draw on a 3-on-2, but they fumbled the puck, and Bertuzzi, Nyquist and Zetterberg watched Mike Green get pulled down by Timo Meier as San Jose tried to break away again. Green was held up, but the fans booed as Meier also skated unsteadily.
  • The Sharks cycled to the point, and Howard had to stop DeMelo at 10:11.
  • At 10:11, San Jose narrowed the Wings’ shot advantage to 8-5, and attempts were 11-10 Detroit; hits 3-2 Detroit; giveaways 2-0 Detroit, takeaways 1-0 San Jose; blocked shots 1-1; faceoffs 4-4.
  • When play resumed, Bertuzzi, Zetterberg and Nyquist faced a persistent Sharks rush, but the Wings skated the other way, stifled a Pavelski foray, and skated up 3-on-3…

But the Sharks recoiled and skated into the Red Wings’ zone, with Detroit’s Nyquist and Ericsson standing and staring as Pavelski passed to Kane, who passed the puck across to Donskoi, and he stuffed the puck into an empty net.

 Donskoi made it 1-1 @ 10:55 from Kane and Pavelski.

  • Daley left his point position to skate into the rush, and it bit the Wings, who were under siege during the post-goal shift.
  • San Jose continued to cycle in the offensive zone and Howard had to make a massive stop on Pavelski as the Sharks cycled superbly 6-on-5, on a delayed penalty call…

And as Eric Fehr stood in front of Jimmy Howard, Howard looked on the wrong side, DeMelo fed Dillon and Fehr tipped it in.

 Fehr made it 2-1 via Dillon and DeMelo at 12:39.

  • On the post-goal shift, Detroit was scrambly as hell, and Jensen, DeKeyser, Bertuzzi, Glendening and Witkowski surrendered the puck via a DeKeyser turnover and had to block a point shot.
  • Detroit at least exited its zone and changed before the SHarks returned, and when the Wings skated into San Jose’s zone, Nyquist slid a back pass to Zetterberg, he fired the puck off DeMelo and the puck went out of play.
  • At 14:08, San Jose and Detroit were tied 8-8 in shots and attempts were 13-12 San Jose; hits 3-2 Detroit; giveaways 3-1 Detroit, takeaways 2-0 San Jose; blocked shots 3-2 Detroit; faceoffs 6-6 (50%).
  • When play resumed, Larkin won the draw to the point, but Zetterberg flubbed a pass to Ericsson, and he had to retreat to his own zone to chase down a puck.
  • A bad outlet pass yielded a Sharks jam-and-cycle play and a long shot from Braun with a rebound off the post by Boedker.
  • Larkin, Zetterberg and Mantha played half-a-shift together, before Bertuzzi and Athanasiou came over the boards, with Nyquist, and Detroit had to deal with the Sharks’ cycle as Kronwall and Green set up.
  • With 4:15 remaining in the 1st, Detroit jabbed the puck into the Sharks’ zone, but Jones smothered it and earned a stoppage in play to stifle the Wings’ momentum.
  • San Jose took over on the next shift, with Burns firing one shot off Howard and another through traffic wide…
  • San Jose turned the puck over at center, with Zetterberg, Larkin and Mantha re-setting before they skated in deep, and Larkin kicked hte puck free behind Zetterberg and Mantha, the Wings skated back in…
  • And instead, Pavelski and Kane set up in the Wings’ zone, Braun fired a bomb wide of the net, Vlasic pinched, Donskoi cycled vs. Larkin, Bertuzzi and Nyquist…
  • The Wings’ trio re-set and skated into the Sharks’ zone, but they coughed up the puck and the team changed, icing the puck at 18:00.
  • Helm, Glendening and Abdelkader worked as a makeshift 3rd line together, trying to give the Sharks a harder time, and they did so fairly well…
  • But San Jose attacked Detroit’s end, Howard had to stop a Dillon point shot, Howard stopped a point shot, Glendening lost his stick and San Jose got a third shot attempt from DeMelo, but he missed the net.
  • Helm skated up ice to negate an icing as the Wings desperately changed, Athanasiou and Larkin joined the fray, Svechnikov replaced Helm and the Wings’ “kids” raced into the Sharks’ zone, cycled around the side boards, and pumped the puck back to the point…
  • With Detroit running out of time.

The 1st period in summary: The Red Wings came out to a roaring start in San Jose, but a team that’s lost 6 straight games is a fragile team, and after a power play that went wrong, the momentum shifted toward the speedy Sharks (no surprise there), yielding a pair of goals in 1:44 that gave San Jose a lead they may or may not have deserved. Fragility is as fragility does.

Statistically, Detroit was out-shot 12-9 and out-attempted 24-16; hits 6-4 Detroit; giveaways 4-1 Detroit, takeaways 3-1 San Jose (possession changes 7-2 San Jose); blocked shots 6-4 San Jose; faceoffs 8-7 Detroit (57%).

Individually, Larkin led the Wings with 2 shots, and Nyquist, Mantha, Helm, Kronwall, Athanasiou, Svechnikov and Daley had 1 shot; Jensen and Mantha had 4 of the Wings’ 6 hits; Abdelkader, Zetterberg, Glendening and Kronwall had giveaways; Daley had a takeaway; DeKeyser blocked 2 shots, Glendening and Ericsson 1; Glendening’s 4-and-1 (80%) faceoff rating led the team; Detroit was -5; Larkin led the team with 7:40 played; Kronwall played 6:58, Green played 6:56, Ericsson 6:31, Bertuzzi 6:25, Daley 6:11, Mantha 6:04.

FSD had the scoring chances at 8-5 San Jose on their 12-9 shot advantage.

The 2nd period

2nd period observations:

  • San Jose opened the second period by winning the center ice faceoff, but Mantha picked off a turnover, sent a puck toward the net, and Detroit re-entered the zone, with Larkin and Helm helping the Wings’ defense fire a puck off Martin Jones’ helmet.
  • 29 seconds into the 2nd period, Zetterberg drew in for a draw opposite Pavelski, and the Sharks won the battle but lost the war as Brent Burns iced the puck.
  • Detroit’s Zetterberg, Bertuzzi and Nyquist drew in with Kronwall and Green, the Wings won the draw, and Kronwall fired the puck wide. The Wings cycled, ground the puck out down low, and eventually, San Jose cleared and Kronwall chipped the puck deeper in his own zone to re-set the play.
  • Detroit chipped and changed 1:20 into the 2nd, and Kane was able to beat the Wings to the puck in their own defensive zone, centering the puck to Green…

San Jose re-set at center ice, Svechnikov was dumped by Tierney, who skated around Jensen, and as Tierney slid the puck in on Howard, the Wings lost Kevin Labanc. He poked the rebound in past Howard to give San Jose a 3-1 lead.

 Kevin Labanc got the goal at 1:59 from Tierney.

  • On the post-goal shift, Detroit was able to at least parry away a San Jose rush and change;
  • Frk, Larkin and Witkowski took over, they gave up a deep defensive zone faceoff, and Helm and Mantha were able to jam the puck out to Larkin, who cleared the zone…
  • Some 4:15 into the 2nd, Marc-Edouard Vlasic skated in deep, centered the puck vs. Green, and DeKeyser turned the puck over, afording Kane a cycle attempt. Kane sent the puck off Larkin, Detroit sent a shot high and wide, and Helm exited the ice as Zetterberg and Nyquist ground the puck out down low. Zetterberg did a great job and he got some help from Daley to chip the puck toward the net…

And both Nyquist and Bertuzzi jabbed the puck down and into the Sharks’ net behind Jones.

 The referees reviewed the play to check for a high stick, and Nyquist scored at 5:05 from Bertuzzi and Daley.

  • On the post-goal shift, Bertuzzi cycled through center, the Sharks dumped and chased, and Jensen and Kronwall cleared the zone, but San Jose kept the pressure on, and Athanasiou, Abdelkader and Bertuzzi ground the puck out down low–in their own end, with DeKeyser and Green’s help.
  • Athanasiou got an actual shot on goal working with Svechnikov and Abdelkader, and the trio could not penetrate the Sharks’ zone, but as Witkowski of all people joined the fray, he made a “power move” toward Jones, he was stopped, and when the Wings reset at center, Frk took Hertl down…
  • Hertl and Burns set up for a lateral pass as they entered the Wings’ zone, and Howard stopped a big Burns boomer.
  • At 7:37, Detroit and San Jose were tied 3-3 in shots in the 2nd period, with San Jose leading 15-12 overall; attempts 28-23 San Jose; hits 8-5 Detroit; giveaways 4-3 Detroit, takeaways 3-2 San Jose; blocked shots 8-4 San Jose; faceoffs 11-10 Detroit (52%).
  • Detroit did a fair job of winning the defensive zone faceoff, skating up the ice, and Larkin fed Helm in front, but Jones stifled Helm’s near-breakaway with aplomb, and he held the rebound.
  • On the next shift, Detroit got a solid 3-on-2 rush via Larkin, but Detroit then surrendered a 3-on-2 against Hertl and company, and the Sharks’ decision to chip and change was the only thing that spelled relief for Mantha, Larkin and Helm.
  • Detroit changed lines as Donskoi, Kane and Fehr cycled, and Howard had to stop a Kane rush as Dekeyser and Green did not do a very good job defensively.
  • Green did a better job sending a backhand in on Jones via a Zetterberg pass on a rush, but he and Kronwall skittered back to stifle the Sharks’ offensive pressure, Athanasiou and Svechnikov joined the fray, and Svechnikov skated up ice with Abdelkader, feeding Abby on a mini-break that Abdelkader fired wide…
  • San Jose raced up the other way, and Tierney fired the puck off Kronwall as the 10-minute mark passed.
  • At 10:37, shots in the 2nd were 6-3 Detroit, 15-15 overall; attempts 30-26 San Jose; hits 8-5 Detroit; giveaways 4-3 Detroit, takeaways 5-2 San Jose; blocked shots 8-4 San Jose; faceoffs 13-10 Detroit (57%).
  • The Red Wings returned to play a little more determined, and Frk, Witkowski and Glendening were an actually good, functional line that harassed the Sharks offensively and defensively.
  • Larkin got an extra half-shift with Witkowski and Frk, and the trio helped Mike Green and Danny DeKeyser clear the defensive zone.
  • 11:54 into the 2nd, Detroit iced the puck, and the Wings won the draw, cleared the zone, and Zetterberg and Nyquist helped diffuse a defensive issue that resulted in Howard stopping a Couture shot.
  • Ericsson and Daley got hemmed in, and Brent Burns grabbed Daley’s clearing attempt, but he hand passed it to a teammate, so play was blown dead with 7:16 left in the 2nd.
  • Detroit’s Bertuzzi, Athanasiou and Abdelkader skated together on a makeshift line, and they surrendered a wraparound attempt to Kane, in no small part thanks to Green and Kronwall standing around…

And Kane hooked Athanasiou down at 13:20, yielding a Red Wings power play.

  • Zetterberg drew in for an offensive zone draw with Nyquist and Abdelkader, the Sharks won the draw and cleared the zone.
  • Kronwall set up and skated through center ice before dropping it to Nyquist, who gained the blueline, fed Zetterberg, who fed Abdelkader, who fed Athanasiou, who coughed up the puck.
  • Kronwall engaged in another drop pass to Nyquist, Detroit gained the offensive zone blueline, but San Jose raced away 2-on-2, Couture got a shot off and Howard had to stop the shot. He smothered the rebound, too.
  • Detroit set up in its own zone and Green fed Mantha, who fed Frk, who dropped to Green, Frk to Larkin to Bertuzzi to Mantha to goal…
  • BUT!
  • Mantha kicked the puck in, and the Red Wings did not protest.
  • The power play continued, with Frk and Green giving and going, Frk fed Mantha in the slot, and he was blocked off, so Detroit had to chase the puck down in its own zone.
  • The Wings brought Larkin into the offensive zone to feed Bertuzzi and then Fkr, the PP expired, and Larkin sent a shot in whose rebound went to Frk…who was stifled by Hertl.
  • Detroit continued to cycle, with Frk, Bertuzzi and Mantha cycling, and the Sharks chipped the puck out of play off Frk.
  • At 15:44, Detroit and San Jose were tied 7-7 in shots in the 2nd, 19-16 San Jose overall. Attempts 36-30 San Jose; hits 10-8 Detroit; giveaways 5-3 Detroit, takeaways 5-2 San Jose; blocked shots 9-6 San Jose; faceoffs 18-12 Detroit (60%).
  • San Jose chugged up into the Wings’ zone off the faceoff ,but Detroit pushed San Jose back out to center ice, and Zetterberg stole the puck from the Sharks, only to have the puck poked off his stick.
  • The Sharks then won an offensive zone faceoff, and Mantha, Larkin and Helm carried the puck back into the Sharks’ zone, with Larkin generating a good chance on Jones.
  • Glendening’s line then drew in for a draw, Abdelkader poked the puck in on Jones, and the Sharks’ goaltender ensured that no rebound would be had.
  • Detroit lost the next draw, and Green had to take a penalty tying up Timo Meier on a rush as a result.

Mike Green got called for slashing at 17:03.

  • The Sharks won the faceoff and Howard had to stop a point shot by Burns, he scrambled for the rebound, and Helm cleared the puck down the ice.
  • San Jose sped through center ice, re-set, and Larkin stole the puck, flipping it all the way back down to Jones.
  • Larkin almost beat Burns while chasing the puck down as well, but the Sharks emerged with puck and emerged with a bunch of pinching Sharks…
  • Who surrendered a TREMENDOUS shorthanded rush to Luke Glendening, who deked and dangled but could not beat Jones.
  • San Jose concluded its power play by surrendering the puck to Jensen, getting a turnover from Larkin, and Howard made a big stop, but Detroit could not clear…
  • So Jensen and DeKeyser fed Larkin for Helm, Detroit changed…
  • San Jose chipped and chased, Zetterberg re-set and fed Bertuzzi for a shot, and the Sharks iced the puck with 25.7 remaining.
  • Detroit lost the deep offensive zone draw, Zetterberg, Nyquist and Bertuzzi worked with Ericsson and Daley to stifle a Sharks rush, and that was the 2nd period.

The 2nd period in summary: The Red Wings arguably out-played the Sharks in the 2nd period, sorting themselves out and scoring one goal and one goal that was called back due to a kick by Mantha. The game felt close and felt even, and feelings are worth exactly zero points in the standings, but trying to stay up very late to cover this game, I would take all the excitement I could get.

Statistically, Detroit out-shot San Jose 11-9 in the 2nd, but San Jose held a 21-20 shot lead. Attempts were 39-34 San Jose; hits 10-8 Detroit; giveaways 6-3 Detroit, takeaways 5-2 San Jose (possession changes 11-5 San Jose); blocked shots 9-6 San Jose; faceoffs 21-15 Detroit (58%).

Individually, Detroit was led in shots by Helm, who had 4; Mantha had 3 shots, Nyquist and Larkin 2; Jensen and Mantha had 2 hits; the Wings had 6 separate players with 1 giveaway, and Abdelkader and Daley had takeaways; DeKeyser blocked 2 shots, Jensen, Glendening, Ericsson and Kronwall 1; Glendening’s 7-and-3 (70%) faceoff record led the team; Detroit was still -5, but Daley was +2; Larkin led the team with 14:50 played, Green played 14:32; Daley played 13:33, Ericsson 13:29, Bertuzzi 13:02, DeKeyser 12:34, Zetterberg 11:46, Kronwall 11:44.

FSD had the scoring chances at 15-13 Detroit on the Sharks’ 21-20 shot advantage.

The 3rd period

3rd period observations:

  • Larkin drew in for the opening faceoff opposite Kane and Kane won the draw, the Sharks chipped and chased and Larkin was over-powered, so Donskoi got the puck to Vlasic, he fired a shot on Howard, who stopped it, and the Wings cleared the puck in some desperation all of 21 seconds into the 3rd period.
  • San Jose won the offensive zone draw, and they cycled around the perimeter, with Braun putting a slapper off the back of the net. Detroit grabbed the rebound but could not clear, and Couture swiped the puck, the Sharks over-pinched, and Helm put a breakaway pass off the heel of Mantha’s stick, yielding zip.
  • The Wings changed and Bertuzzi, Zetterberg and Nyquist could not penetrate the Sharks’ backcheck, so Burns fed Kane in front, and Howard made a big glove stop.
  • Athanasiou won the defensive zone draw 1:41 into the 3rd, Green launched himself on a foray into the offensive zone, and Svechnikov fanned on a shot which was slid back to the blueline, where Kronwall blasted a heavy slapper in on goal.
  • The Sharks won the draw in their own zone and got on their high horse, chasing Jensen down, but Detroit was able to chip and change.
  • Jensen, who did not have his best game, was at least demonstrative and determined at center ice, affording Detroit a five-man change…
  • As Abdelkader fed Athanasiou on a rush, Glendening spun and slid a backhander wide of the net.
  • San Jose responded but went offside, and they won the blueline draw, chipped and chased, but Detroit responded with a good rush.
  • Helm fed Daley on the pinch, Daley responded by sending the puck out to the front of the net, and Helm could not finish.
  • Helm helped DeKeyser on the ensuing faceof, but a Larkin whiff yielded a Sharks rush and a shot that Howard had to stop, as well as a penalty.

Danny DeKeyser got called at 3:55 for hooking Kevin LeBanc.

  • San Jose got a break as Luke Glendening was de-sticked on a battle for the puck, but Ericsson was able to clear the puck down the ice, and Daley slid the Glendening stick through center…
  • San Jose still attacked as Detroit changed, and Daley cleared the puck;
  • San Jose re-set, Howard was de-sticked, and Glendening gave his goaltender his stick, but…

The puck ping ponged off the point man’s shot and Timo Meier ultimately tipped the puck into the goal, making it 4-2.

 Meier made it 4-2 on the power play at 5:12 from Boekder and DeMelo.

  • Detroit battled its way into the Sharks’ zone on the post-goal shift, with Zetterberg, Nyquist and Bertuzzi grinding deep into San Jose territory…

Nyquist skated deep, dropped the puck out front, and Zetterberg slid toward the front of the net, jamming home the 4-3 goal.

 Zetterberg made it 4-3 from Nyquist and Bertuzzi at 5:53.

  • San Jose nearly broke in 3-on-1 during the post-goal shift, but Detroit was able to atl east get back positionally, with Howard stopping Donskoi and affording Ericsson and Daley some breathing room as Kane jabbed a puck into Howard.
  • San Jose then iced the puck exactly 7 minutes into the 3rd.
  • Bertuzzi, Zetterberg and Nyquist rejoined the fray and gave some jam to Green and Kronwall, helping the Wings push the puck in deep and forcing the Sharks to ice the puck (if not for Boedker pinching to negate the icing).
  • San Jose set up and Burns blasted a heavy shot wide of the goal, Burns sent another into the slot for a tip by Hertl, and with under 12 minutes remaining, Detroit attacked..
  • Abdelkader fed Athanasiou, he was stopped BIG TIME by Jones, and Abdelkader got back to block a Sharks shot.
  • Howard had to make a couple of stops on Sorensen and Fehr…

And Detroit took a penalty with 10:58 remaining/at 9:02. Fehr got tugged by Daley and Fehr went down, so Daley sat for hooking.

  • At 9:02, Detroit was out-shot 9-4 in the 3rd and 30-24 overall; attempts 54-41 San Jose.
  • Detroit won the deep defensive zone draw, and Kronwall fed Glendening for a rush along the right wing side. Glendening was stripped of the puck by Burns, but Glendening and Helm were tenacious–and went off quickly on a change.
  • Larkin and Abdelkader helped their defensive pairing chip the puck down ice, and they left it, too.
  • With 1 minute remaining and 9:58 left in the 3rd, San Jose cycled, Donskoi fed it out to Kane, and he was stopped by Howard, but not before Kane tried to celebrate.
  • San Jose won the deep offensive zone draw, and Hertl ended up blocking his own defenseman’s shot, affording Ericsson an easy clear.
  • San Jose skated back into the Wings’ zone, Jensen blocked a shot, and Hertl fluttered a shot through his own defenseman’s skates.
  • The penalty expired.
  • Glendening, Daley and Helm continued to play PK style, and a TV timeout hit as the Sharks put the puck out of play.
  • When play resumed, Detroit changed quickly, with Glendening winning a right side faceoff and going off to give Nyquist his usual spot on the wing with Bertuzzi and Zetterberg. The trio tried to attack the Sharks’ zone, DeKeyser pinched to help the Wings retain possession, and Detroit defused a Sharks 3-on-2 before the Sharks were able to attack by simply chipping the puck in on Howard directly.
  • San Jose won the deep offensive zone draw and Burns blasted a shot wide of the net, and Detroit re-set, attacked the Sharks’ zone, and Mantha blew the pressure by sending the puck toward the slot sans a recipient.
  • Larkin, Mantha and Helm worked with Ericsson and Daley to grind the puck out down low in the Sharks’ zone, but San Jose was wily and cleared the puck to center ice.
  • When the Wings changed personnel, Abdelkader, Athanasiou and Glendening worked together as a line with Green and DeKeyser, and AA skated up through the gut, but was stick checked superbly.
  • Eventually, Zetterberg took the puck off a Sharks skate, Zetterberg tried to feed Nyquist, but the Sharks chipped the puck down ice, and Kronwall and Jensen set up with only 5:30 remaining.
  • Zetterberg charged into SJ territory, Bertuzzi could not take the puck, but Bertuzzi skated up with Daley…
  • San Jose’s Tierney fed Meier on a 2-on-1, and the Sharks could not connect, so a TV timeout hit with 5:02 remaining in the 3rd.
  • At 14:58, Detroit was out-shot 11-4 in the 3rd period and 32-24 overall; attempts 58-41 San Jose; hits 16-11 Detroit; giveaways 8-5 Detroit, takeaways 5-4 San Jose; blocked shots 11-11; faceoffs 26-25 Detroit (51% for Detroit).
  • Detroit lost the faceoff off the TV timeout, and Pavelski, Donskoi and Kane prevented the Wings from attacking well enough to force Mantha and Larkin offside.
  • With 4:37 remaining, Zetterberg lost the offensive zone blueline draw, but he skated through center ice, and Bertuzzi skated behind for a perfect shot attempt…that was blocked.
  • Hertl went the other way, and DeKeyser and Green were in some trouble, but Bertuzzi came back to help, Zetterberg and Bertuzzi skated up, and Bertuzzi slithered a shot wide. Zetterberg was fed by Nyquist, but Z’s shot was blocked wide…
  • And with 3:40 remaining, Detroit changed lines again, and Howard gobbled up a loose puck with 3:34 remaining.
  • Athanasiou, Abdelkader and Glendening pushed the puck up to Daley, he chipped and the Wings chased, and San Jose chipped the puck out of play…
  • Off a stick.
  • Mantha, Larkin and Helm drew in at the Sharks’ line, won the draw, and Green and Kronwall chipped, Detroit chased, Kronwall and Green re-set, and Larkin and Mantha mashed the puck deep, with Mantha tripped.
  • Sans call.
  • Green battled the bouncing puck, Mantha had to skate behind the Wings’ net, where he coughed it up to Pavelski, and Kronwall helped the puck get to Larkin…
  • Long story short, the Wings had to spend the next 30 seconds trying to get out of their zone and into San Jose’s.
  • Zetterberg was then stick-checked, San Jose’s Fehr chipped and changed, and with 1:50 remaining…
  • Daley carried the puck into the Sharks’ zone, and Howard exited at 1:40.
  • San Jose took the puck and scored.

Chris Tierney scored via a Pavelski pass at 18:26.

 Tierney scored the 5-3 goal at 18:26.

  • Detroit did not stop attacking, with Helm, Athanasiou and Larkin taking to the ice, but Larkin whiffed on a one-timer, Green and Kronwall set up Larkin for a shot that went high and wide, and Detroit set up at center, hacking and jamming the puck into the Sharks’ zone.
  • San Jose re-set, slid the puck into Detroit territory, and Abdelkader hammered the puck into the Sharks’ zone…
  • San Jose took the puck, skated to the Wings’ line, and stopped.
  • Detroit iced the puck with 23.9 remaining in regulation.
  • Detroit lost the deep defensive zone draw, Abdelkader got dumped, but bothered Sorensen, and San Jose backhanded the puck to center ice to end the game.

The 3rd period in summary: The Red Wings deserve credit for rallying as best they could, but San Jose played with more urgency, more structure and more desperation, and while Detroit did not have playoff hopes to play for, the Wings should have been able to match the Sharks’ strides.

Statistics:

Here’s the Game Summary…

And the Event Summary: 

The final shot attempts were 60-48 San Jose on the Sharks’ 34-26 shot advantage. Detroit was out-shot 13-6 in the 3rd period.

Published by

George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!