Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings experienced their first loss in over two weeks, as their seven-game winning streak ended with a 6-3 defeat against the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena. Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored twice for the Red Wings, expressed disappointment despite his personal performance. "It’s hard to talk about points when we lose a game," he said.

Goalie Ville Husso made 18 saves in his return to NHL action after a month-long absence. Meanwhile, San Jose's goaltender Alexandar Georgiev recorded 25 saves, helping the Sharks secure a sweep of the season series against Detroit.

Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan acknowledged the team's challenging night and emphasized the need for improvement. "A disappointing night for our group," McLellan stated. He stressed that how they respond will determine their future success.

San Jose opened the scoring early with Jan Rutta's goal just 1:45 into the game and doubled their lead before the first period ended with Nico Sturm's short-handed goal. Despite trailing by two goals, Detroit outshot San Jose in the opening period.

The Red Wings narrowed the deficit early in the second period with Tarasenko scoring his fifth goal of the season. However, Tyler Motte left due to an upper-body injury after colliding with the boards and did not return.

San Jose restored their two-goal lead shortly into the third period through William Eklund's goal. As play continued, both teams exchanged goals, but ultimately it was not enough for Detroit to overcome San Jose’s lead.

Detroit's power-play streak also concluded as they went scoreless on two opportunities during this game. The team now looks ahead to an upcoming four-game road trip starting against Florida Panthers.

Reflecting on areas needing improvement, McLellan commented on playing faster east-west hockey and noted that better pace from San Jose led to their victory. Ville Husso's performance was not blamed for this defeat; instead, focus remained on overall team execution.

Despite this setback, defenseman Moritz Seider remains optimistic about upcoming challenges and opportunities during their road trip: "I think we can beat any team in the League."