Sharks blow 3-1 lead, fall to Red Wings 4-3 in shootout
Macklin Celebrini had a three-point night, but Detroit tied it with 1:33 left in regulation and won it in the shootout.
The Sharks had this one in the pocket and then watched the Red Wings turn the volume up. Detroit beat San Jose 4-3 in a shootout at Little Caesars Arena, and the thing that decided it came in the final two minutes: Alex DeBrincat scored at 18:27 of the third to make it 3-3, and the Sharks never recovered.
That's a gut punch, because San Jose played a really good two periods of hockey.
The groove
Justin Faulk gave Detroit the early lead at 12:47 of the first. The Sharks answered late in the period. Dmitry Orlov's slap shot at 17:59, set up by Ivar Stenberg and Celebrini, tied it 1-1. On the replay it came on the power play, through a screen.
Then Celebrini took over. At 4:55 of the second he scored off a Will Smith feed (Michael Kesselring got the other assist), and the Sharks led 2-1. Smith found him on the replay right after a Detroit turnover, and Celebrini made it count.
Early in the third, Stenberg made it 3-1 at 2:48 with a goal, also on the power play, with Alexander Wennberg and Celebrini assisting. San Jose finished 2 for 6 on the power play.
The turn
Then the song changed. Emmitt Finnie tipped one in at 5:00 of the third, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Moritz Seider assisting, and it was 3-2. Nothing else got through until DeBrincat found a loose puck in the slot at 18:27. Overtime solved nothing, neither side scored, and it went to the shootout.
Lucas Raymond scored for Detroit, and John Gibson stopped Stenberg to end it.
The numbers
Celebrini finished with 1 goal and 2 assists, 7 shots and a +1 rating in 26:54 of ice time. He was the second star. Finnie (1 goal, 1 assist) was first star and DeBrincat third.
The kids showed up. Stenberg, 19, in his 8th NHL game, had a goal and an assist. Celebrini is 20 and in his 158th NHL game, and Smith, 21, in his 151st, added an assist.
The Sharks out-shot Detroit 34-27, but Gibson stopped 31 of 34. Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves on 27 shots. Jacob Trouba blocked 5 shots, and the Sharks had 11 blocks to Detroit's 21. San Jose also coughed up 15 giveaways to Detroit's 11, which is a worry when you're protecting a lead.
Gloves off
Keegan Kolesar and Barclay Goodrow dropped the gloves at 16:27 of the first for fighting majors, a quick bit of business before Orlov's tying goal a minute and a half later.
What's next
San Jose is 4-3-1 and heads to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Monday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Sharks showed they can score and hold the puck, but the bigger question is whether they can close.