The San Jose Sharks lost another road game tonight as they fell to the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in the shootout. The loss was their fourth in a row and second straight on the road.
Coming off of a loss in Pittsburgh last night, the San Jose Sharks were looking to break a losing skid against a mediocre Detroit Red Wings team at Little Caesars Arena. Unfortunately, they came out on the losing end of a defensive struggle.
San Jose goalie Martin Jones turned in a stellar performance, stopping 35 of 36 shots as Detroit largely controlled puck possession. It was Jones’ second straight start after a rough night in Pittsburgh, including a major blunder clearing the puck on the eventual game-winning goal. A gaffe in the crease tonight may have cost San Jose once again.
Low scoring game
While Detroit outshot San Jose throughout the evening, the game remained scoreless until the third period.
TREVOR DALEY BACKHAND BEAUTY! 1-0 RED WINGS!#BellLetsTalk pic.twitter.com/msmGb44aKh
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 1, 2018
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Detroit’s Trevor Daley opened the scoring early on in the third, with a beautiful stickhandling display. He grabs possession in the neutral zone along the right wing, stickhandling on as San Jose defenseman Justin Braun slashes his him. While Daley deserves credit for taking the puck to the net, Jones lets through a pretty soft goal.
It’s a small blemish on an otherwise great night in net, but with the Sharks struggling to put up much offense of their own, it proved to be fatal.
San Jose would tie the game with just under five minutes to go, as up-and-coming San Jose winger Kevin Labanc buried a top-shelf wrist shot from Alex Ovechkin’s office at the top of the circle.
Regulation would end in a 1-1 tie, as Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader netted the game-winner.
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Sharks swimming through rough seas
Things do not get much better for the Sharks. A rejuvenated Joe Thornton went down in the first game of this losing streak, and his status remains unclear down the stretch. Meanwhile, they play 14 games in February, with their next three on the road. While the Sharks are currently second in the Pacific, the division has been inconsistent this year, and the Anaheim Ducks lurk just outside of the playoffs.