Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Patrick Marleau scored the game-winner in the third round of the shootout, as the San Jose Sharks edged the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, at Joe Louis Arena.
Marleau Scores Game-Winner In Shootout To Lead Sharks Past Red Wings
Following a scoreless first two rounds of the shootout, Todd Bertuzzi had his wrister stopped by Evgeni Nabokov. Marleau then skated toward Jimmy Howard and got the goaltender leaning towards the right before firing a snap shot into the back of the net.
Nabokov was the star of the night, stopping a career-high 50 shots for the Sharks, who improved to 4-1-0 on a six-game road trip that ends Saturday in Buffalo. Dwight Helminen and Joe Thornton scored in regulation for the victors.
Jason Williams and Johan Franzen lit the lamp for the Red Wings, who have dropped four straight games. Howard turned aside 24-of-26 shots in defeat.
Williams tied the game at two with 7:05 to go in the third. Williams made a nice move around a defender before ripping a snap shot from the bottom of the right circle that found the upper left corner of the net.
Neither team scored for the rest of the period, sending the contest into overtime.
A Rob Blake tripping penalty put Detroit on the power play at the 2:39 mark of OT. The Red Wings couldn't capitalize with the man advantage, and things went into a shootout.
The Red Wings got on the board with a power-play goal at the 12:13 mark of the first period. Franzen’s snap shot from the right circle deflected off Nabokov’s glove before going into the net.
Thornton lit the lamp just 25 seconds later to tie things up. Niclas Wallin’s slapper from the point bounced off the boards behind the net and Thornton was there for the easy tip-in.
San Jose took the lead on Helminen's first goal of the year with 10 seconds remaining. Torrey Mitchell controlled the disc behind the net and made his way to the left circle before passing off to Helminen, whose wrister beat Howard.
Nabokov stopped 14 shots in a scoreless second, while Howard made eight saves.
The Red Wings were going for a season sweep of the Sharks after winning the first three games this year...Detroit was without forward Patrick Eaves and defenseman Niklas Kronwall due to knee injuries...The Red Wings went 1-for-6 on the power play, while San Jose went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
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