Red Wings-Sharks quick take: a streak of a different kind dooms Wings

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to stretch their winning streak to eight games while facing off against a young San Jose Sharks team on Tuesday evening.

The Red Wings earned a 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday evening, thanks in no small part to bad goaltending by Ville Husso, terrible defensive play by the Wings’ blueline, and all sorts of bad special teams play as the Wings surrendered 2 shorties and a power play goal against.

The good news was that Vladimir Tarasenko scored 2 goals, Lucas Raymond scored a beauty from Dylan Larkin’s smart faceoff play on Macklin Celebrini, and that Todd McLellan has the Red Wings’ full attention as the 7-game streak is gone.

Detroit will head to Sunrise, Florida to take on the Panthers on Thursday, they then head to Tampa Bay and Dallas on Saturday and Sunday, and end their road trip with 4 games in 6 nights in Philly next Tuesday.

Much is to be expected of this team now that the ship has been turned around, and one shitty outing won’t end everything that’s good about this revived team…But it will require some course corrections now.

In pregame warmups, Ville Husso led the Red Wings out from the locker room to the ice at Little Caesars Arena:

The Sharks’ social media team appears to be more interested in individual players warming up than “warmups”:

The Wings announced their starters and lineup just before game time…

The official starters and scratches were as follows:

In the 1st period, the Red Wings’ Larkin line prepared to face off against Macklin Celebrini’s line, with former Wing Jake Walman on the Sharks’ blueline opposite Chiarot, wearing the alternate captain’s “A,” and Seider.

The goaltending match-up was a little unorthodox as the Wings were experimenting to see how Ville Husso would hold up, and the Sharks started non-starter Alexandar Georgiev.

Larkin drew in vs. Celebrini and tied up the draw back to Seider, the Wings rimmmed it to Raymond who was crowded at the blueline, so Seider sent the puck around the back boards and up to center, where the Sharks stifled Detroit and both teams changed 30 seconds in.

Compher sent a shot off a Sharks player’s leg, and San Jose set up at center, sent the puck deep, and Compher took over, dropped to Edvinsson, and San Jose stood up at center again, with Berggren picking off a Sharks pass, cycling to the line for Holl, who was blocked off by Granlund, and the Sharks chipped and changed 1:20 in.

Kane and DeBrincat raced up the left wing side and DeBrincat fired a shot over the net and down the ice it went, where Holl was hacked down, Husso stopped Will Smith…But Jan Rutta regrouped, sent a shot through traffic and through Husso’s “blocker hole” to make it 1-0 Sharks.

Rutta scored from Smith at 1:45 of the 1st. 1-0 San Jose.

On the bump-up shift, the Red Wings pushed into the Sharks’ zone, but San Jose stood up against the Red Wings’ Larkin line, and Celebrini iced the puck at 3:02.

San Jose was doing a good job of defending against the Red Wings’ quick-strike offense, but they were doing so by playing ugly 1-2-2 hockey, and hacking and whacking the Red Wings’ players at every opportunity.

The Sharks’ stick checks were impressive. Their hooks and holds weren’t. But they were effective, and Detroit looked a little scrambled.

Off a giveaway by Seider, Wennberg was stopped by a good Wings block, and Seider broke his stick, so Detroit was in some distress until they cleared the defensive zone 5:30 in;

As Ken and Mickey told us that the San Jose Sharks had won 3 of their past 17 games, the Sharks looked quite capable of stopping the Red Wings’ offense, picking pucks off of Wings defenders’ sticks, and generally playing disruptive hockey in order to win ugly.

Detroit was just starting loosely over the first 7:00 of play. San Jose was able to dictate play in the offensive, neutral and defensive zones. Detroit was rushed.

Moritz Seider flew up through the middle of the ice at 7:45, but was unable to connect with Jonatan Berggren on the left wing;

Albert Johansson arguably got the Wings’ first good scoring chance off a pass from a pinching Edvinsson 30 seconds later;

Then Kane, Copp and Debrincat jabbed at loose pucks, but Georgiev made stops;

Larkin made a tremendous block on a Celebrini centering pass after Gustafsson screwed up on the defensive chase, and the Wings raced the other way, with Larkin, Raymond and Kasper all jamming pucks;

Seider served as the quarterback at even strength, with Larkin cycling up top, but Ferraro and Eklund made good stops defensively;

Off an icing just short of 11:00, the Wings’ fourth line won the defensive zone faceoff and cleared the puck with ease;

Shortly thereafter, Holl, Gustafsson and Berggren all ripped long-distance shots on Georgiev, but the Sharks’ goalie made good stops as the Wings accumulated a 9-3 shot lead;

Walman iced the puck at 12:23, but Copp drew the puck and was beaten, Seider held the line, but the Sharks cleared and Husso had to help Seider and Chiarot by playing the puck outside the crease;

Celebrini got a great opportunity to score some 13:30 into the 1st because Ben Chiarot did not pay attention to Seider’s request that #8 take the middle of the ice;

The period hit a bit of a lull 15:30 into the 1st, and the Sharks were then penalized after the TV timeout as Ferraro grabbed Tyler Motte and tugged and held. 15:42, PP, for holding.

ON the power play, Lucas Raymond nearly scored off the won faceoff, Kane hit the referee and Seider worked the puck to Larkin, who fired high, DeBrincat used Raymond as a decoy but fired the puck wide himself, Seider worked the perimeter to Raymond, across to Kane he went, skate to stick, Seider walked for Raymond, down to DeBrincat, for Larkin it went, but the Sharks dug the puck out of a scrum and cleared;

So Kasper, Compher, Rasmussen, Gustafsson and Tarasenko came out, but they were unable to penetrate the Sharks’ blueline once, twice, Compher held in a Sharks clear, Guatafsson was stopped, and William Eklund nearly got loose 1-on-2…and Nico Sturm took the puck from Eklund and scored a shorthanded goal at 17:41 of the 1st, dekeing Husso out.

Sturm scored from Eklund and Vlasic at 17:41, shorthanded. 2-0 San Jose.

Detroit was just out of sorts, and even Dylan Larkin iced the puck bafflingly without pressure with 56.2 seconds left in the 1st period.

San Jose won the faceoff, and forced Raymond to weather a cross-check in the back in order to clear the zone…

Ultimately, DeBrincat and Copp nearly gave up the puck in front of Husso, and the first period mercifully ended with the shots 12-4 Detroit, and the score 2-0 San Jose.

In the 2nd period, Dylan Larkin and Macklin Celebrini drew in for the opening faceoff, which Larkin won, and Detroit got a couple of shot attempts in on Georgiev as Kasper, Raymond and Larkin worked together with Seider and Chiarot, with one stopped by Georgiev…

Georgiev almost let a puck into his goal while wandering outside his crease, but he got back into position quickly;

And the Red Wings cycled, Berggren and Edvinsson fed the puck off the side of the goalpost, and the puck bounced through Compher and to Tarasenko, who jabbed the 2-1 goal past Georgiev.

Tarasenko scored from Edvinsson and Berggren. 2-1 at 1:28 2nd period.

The Wings rolled the Kane line over the boards for the post-goal shift, and DeBrincat nearly sprung Motte off a line change, but that play did not work;

San Jose got a good cycle going against Seider, Chiarot and the Veleno line, but Joe Veleno was tripped by Ty Dellandrea at 3:12, and that was an easy trip to call.

On the power play, Detroit lost the initial faceoff and afforded San Jose an easy clear, but Seider and Raymond and Kane worked through the neutral zone, Larkin battled Ferraro and Granlund battled Kane, Kane regained the puck and sent it to Seider, Raymond blasted a snapper wide, Seider fed Raymond…

To Seider it went, Larkin, to Raymond, perimeter to DeBrincat down low to Kane to Seider shot wide, Raymond to Seider tipped wrister by DeBrincat wide…

The Sharks cleared, Larkin raced through center, DeBrincat dropped to Gustafsson, Raymond and Gustafsson fed Kane, to Raymond, to Gustafsson, over Kane’s stick, and Gustafsson held the line as the Wings almost had too many men;

Husso stopped a shorthanded shot by Walman, and that was the power play.

It was too jumbled.

Edvinsson, Johansson and the Compher line did a nice job of battling the Sharks, and Motte, Veleno and Rasmussen pressured as well;

Edvinsson also blocked a Celebrini shot at 6:21, which stung #77 a bit.

After a TV timeout, Detroit received a good shift from Edvinsson and Johansson, who looked a lot sharper than the Wings’ forward corps, both offensively and defensively;

The Sharks were trying very, very hard to pick off pucks from Wings defensemen in the left wing corner, and Detroit didn’t seem to see the planned play, but the Wings were at least preventing it from happening more regularly.

Larkin, Raymond and Kasper battled a bouncing puck to generate a scoring chance for Holl, and Larkin got a great shot off Georgiev himself;

The Sharks were mostly pouncing on loose pucks and trying to counter-attack, and it was working to some extent, but the Wings were at least not ceding as much time and space to the Sharks’ planned plays.

A bad Moritz Seider turnover in the defensive zone was assuaged by, of all people, Ben Chiarot 10:30 into the 2nd…

Raymond, Larkin and Celebrini battled for another bouncing puck in the Sharks’ zone 11:15 into the 2nd, and Larkin nearly fed DeBrincat, but instead, Goodrow raced up the ice, splitting the defense, and Husso was bailed out in no small part by Gustafsson and Holl…

Husso made a nice stop on Dellandrea’s deflection at 12:20, and Wennberg and company continued to cycle vs. the Copp line, but Detroit did a good job of preventing shots against;

There was some, “If you want to do the job right, do it yourself!” from Moritz Seider…

And a bit disturbingly, Tyler Motte toe-picked and went into the end boards with 5:59 left in the period, requiring medical attention.

There was a delay after Motte went off to scrape blood off the ice, and when play resumed, the Kane-DeBrincat line took to the ice, got loose, and Seider and Chiarot had to bail them out defensively…

Chiarot lost the puck as well and Husso had to stop Colin Graf in the slot.

Detroit just looked jumbled and as bouncy as the puck on Little Caesars Arena’s ice surface with 4:16 left in the 2nd period, and as the Wings’ concentration waned, San Jose was creeping back into the shot total category.

The Red Wings did “juggle” their lines a bit, with Raymond moonlighting on the Veleno line, absent Motte…

Georgiev made a tremendous, tremendous stopas Seider dropped the puck into the slot for DeBrincat, though Granlund was steering Copp away from the slot, giving the Sharks’ goaltender full view of the puck.

Husso had to make a couple of good stops as Edvinsson and Johansson were overwhelmed by Celebrini and Smith being stacked on the top line in the final minute of play, and Husso had to make a tremendous stop on Vlasic to end the 2nd period.

In the 3rd period, Detroit won the opening faceoff, but of course the Sharks raced into the Wings’ zone, cycled, Celebrini took a shot that was tipped wide, Eklund fed Celebrini, and back to William Eklund it went for the 3-1 goal at 26 seconds of the 3rd period.

William Eklund made it 3-1 back-door. From Celebrini and Toffoli.

The Sharks continued to dominate possession and control for the first 90 seconds of the 2nd period, and while Detroit was able to muck the puck down the ice and get a shot off on Georgiev, and Kane clanged a puck off the outside of the goalpost…

Erik Gustafsson had to block Luke Kunin from getting a breakaway 2:00 in…

At the end of his shift, DeBrincat fed Tarasenko in the slot, and Tarasenko raced in and whiffed a shot wide…

Larkin and Raymond did feed Gustafsson off the rush, but he chanked a shot off the side of the goal;

That line continued to cycle, and Johansson was blocked off from the point, and Edvinsson could not keep the puck in the zone off a weird bounce;

San Jose raced up 3-on-2 and Eklund had to be stopped by Husso, who held the puck with 15:22 left in the 3rd…

But Erik Gustafsson made a wide move by blasting the puck off the end boards to get a rebound out front with Veleno and Rasmussen screening Georgiev, and Tarasenko snuck into the slot and made it 3-2 with 13:55 left in the 3rd.

Gustafsson and Veleno got the assists on Tarasenko’s goal at 6:05 of the 3rd. 3-2.

At 6:50, however, Ty Dellandrea “chicken winged” Albert Johansson’s stick, and Johansson was called for hooking.

On the penalty kill, Compher drew in vs. Granlund at the right faceoff dot, and Granlund powered the puck back between his defensemen to center ice;

San Jose did break into the Wings’ end, and cycled well, but Husso stopped William Eklund, Chiarot and Rasmussen cleared vs. Celebrini, and the Wings went off for a change;

And Mikael Granlund walked in from the blueline back door, evaded a futile check from Andrew Copp, and chipped the puck over Husso with 12:17 left in regulation time.

Granlund scored from Celebrini at 7:43, PPG. Third special teams goal for San Jose.

Berggren, Compher and Tarasenko did try to score at 9:53, working with Edvinsson and Johansson, but Georgiev gobbled up Edvinsson’s point shot;

And Lucas Raymond was the beneficiary of Dylan Larkin out-smarting Celebrini on a faceoff in the offensive zone, shoveling it laterally to Raymond, who jammed the puck home to make it 4-3 at 9:56.

Raymond scored from Larkin at 9:56. 4-3.

But Justin Holl was unable to clear the front of the net at 10:57, and Tyler Toffoli swiped the puck from Holl’s stick, the puck bounced off Eklund, and bye bye puck, Toffoli made it 5-3 San Jose.

Toffoli from Eklund. 5-3 San Jose at 10:57.

The Kane-Copp-DeBrincat line had a tremendous shift with 5:27 left in the 3rd, but they could not get a gassed San Jose team to make enough mistakes to stuff the puck behind Georgiev…

With under 5 minutes to play, at least Moritz Seider blasted Mikael Granlund with a heavy hit;

Detroit did seem to straighten up as the game clock wound down, and DeBrincat got TWO great chances on Georgiev point blank, but the Sharks’ goaltender made two sterling saves with about 4:10 left…

Detroit didn’t pull Husso until 3:23 remained, and on the 6-on-5, Kane, Tarasenko, Seider, Raymond, Kane and Larkin cycled the perimeter, DeBrincat jammed, was stopped, Larkin and Raymond hacked and whacked at the puck, Tarasenko and Seider held the line, Kunin dumped Larkin, and Walman ripped the puck wide of the empty net.

The Sharks were furious with 2:38 left as Walman’s empty-netter may have been tipped wide off Seider’s stick, but Detroit got the deep offensive zone draw, won it, and Detroit cycled, Raymond shanked one wide, Granlund was blocked by Raymond, and DeBrincat missed again…

With 1:50 left, the Wings kept most of their top players on the ice…

And with 1:38 left, Ferraro got a bank shot into the empty net to make it 6-3 San Jose.

Ferraro got the empty-netter at 18:22. San Jose would win 6-3.

Panthers on Thursday, Lightning on Saturday, Stars on Sunday, Flyers on Tuesday, all on the road.

Statistics: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:

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!

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