San Jose

Sharks Fall Short to Red Wings, Lose Fourth in a Row

Martin Jones and Petr Mrazek traded saves all night, but Mrazek and the Red Wings outlasted the Sharks and picked up a 2-1 shootout win on Wednesday. It was San Jose's season-high fourth consecutive loss, and their third defeat in a row without injured center Joe Thornton.

For the first 46:48 of action, Jones and Mrazek stopped every shot they faced. But with 13:12 remaining in regulation, Red Wings defenseman Trevor Daley snuck a bad-angle backhand shot past Jones.

Sharks winger Kevin Labanc answered with a seeing-eye shot with 4:59 remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, and give San Jose a crucial standings point. Justin Abdelkader scored the shootout-winning goal in the sixth round.

STANDOUT PERFORMER: Labanc tied the game, but Jones was San Jose's best player Wednesday night.

He stopped 43 of 44 shots in regulation, and all seven he faced in overtime while crease counterpart Mrazek faced none in the extra frame. Jones allowed four or more goals in each of his last two starts, and this kind of performance that's been rare between since December.

The Sharks have only scored three goals in the last two nights, so they may need more nights like this from Jones on the road trip.

TURNING POINT: Labanc's game-tying goal came against the run of overall play.

The Sharks were near-even in five-on-five shot attempts up to that point, but outshot 34-25 across all situations just before the goal. They were outshot 10-5 after, thanks in large part to a 4-on-3 penalty kill in overtime.

His goal forced overtime, allowing the Sharks to avoid a near-certain regulation loss and pick up a point.

INJURY ALERT: Sharks center Joe Thornton (right MCL) has no timetable for a return after undergoing surgery last week. Defenseman Tim Heed, and forwards Jannik Hansen and Danny O'Regan were healthy scratches.

Red Wings winger Johan Franzen (concussion-like symptoms) remains on long-term injured reserve. Center Darren Helm (leg) returned to the Detroit lineup Wednesday, while wingers David Booth, Luke Witkowski, and defenseman Xavier Ouellet were healthy scratches.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Sharks continue their five-game road trip Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Coverage begins on NBC Sports California at 3:30 p.m., with puck drop around 4:00.

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