Red Wings Start New Year with 5-3 Win Over Sharks

SAN JOSE — New year, better start.

Both the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks were looking for exactly that to start 2024 as the Wings began their first West Coast road trip of the season on Tuesday night.

It was the Wings who skated off with the win, scoring three times in the third period to take a 5-3 win.

“We’ve won two of our last three, which is certainly a positive,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “But of our three most recent losses, we were tied 2-2 in the third and found a way to lose. We were in a similar situation tonight, 2-2, gave up the third goal and I thought our guys hung in there pretty good to find a way get this one in regulation. Never easy to win in this league. Certainly not easy on the road, so we’ll take it.”

Perron Keys Comeback

David Perron scored the tying and winning goals for Detroit, which won in regulation for the first time in three weeks, since winning at St. Louis on Dec. 12. Lucas Raymond had three assists.

“It’s that time of year when these games are so critical for us,” Perron said. “I think we have 12 more games before the (All-Star) break,  so we’ve got to make sure we play the right way all 60 minutes.”

Each team scored a goal in the first two periods, but San Jose took the lead on a goal by Alexander Barabanov at 9:24.

Just over a minute and a half later, Perron blasted a shot past San Jose goalie Kaapo Kahkonen for a power-play goal to tie the game. He scored the game-winner with 1:30 remaining, and Michael Rasmussen put it out of reach on an empty-netter with six seconds left.

Daniel Sprong (power play) and J.T. Compher also scored for Detroit.

The Red Wings had been in a free fall ever since blowing a 4-0 lead at home against the Sharks in a 6-5 overtime loss on Dec. 7, losing 10 of their next 13 games. The Sharks, who started 0-10-1, had fallen into a rut of their own, having lost eight in a row before Tuesday.

The Wings, who outshot San Jose 31-27, are now 14-0-1 when scoring five or more goals. Alex Lyon got the win in net, making 24 saves.

“Alex was great,” Lalonde said. “There were some moments they were pushing, like most home teams do, and he came up big for us. He gave us an opportunity to hang in there throughout and pull it out in the end.”

Kings Next Up For Red Wings

Tuesday’s game was a homecoming of sorts for Detroit goalie James Reimer, who played for the Sharks last year.

The Wings continue their California trip on Thursday, when they play the Kings in Los Angeles.

“It sets up the trip nicely, for sure,” Perron said of Tuesday’s win. “We want to go into LA, be up two points and keep adding them.”