The Detroit Red Wings got the usual handful of a challenge in taking on the San Jose Sharks.
The San Jose Sharks came into Little Caesars Arena on Friday, Jan. 16, having played the night before, while the Wings had two days between games. It was a tight game, but the Wings prevailed, 4-2, thanks to a third-period goal from captain Dylan Larkin.
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The Wings needed a shootout to win in San Jose back in early November. They were winless against the Sharks last season, and in 2023-24, they most egregiously blew a 4-0 lead to lose in overtime; that was the season they missed the playoffs by a tiebreaker.
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) faces off against Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) during the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026.
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In the latest meeting, the Wings got their go-ahead goal when Larkin stuffed the puck into San Jose’s net at 4:41. John Gibson came through with three saves while Michael Rasmussen was in the penalty box around the period’s midpoint. The Sharks pulled their goalie with around two minutes left for an extra attacker, which resulted in a Marco Kasper empty-net goal with 92 seconds to play. He also had an assist, picking up just his second multi-point game of the season.
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The victory improved the Wings to 29-16-4, with 62 points, at least temporarily one point up on Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay for the best record in the Eastern Conference, with the Lightning (who have also played three fewer games) also in action against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.
Getting ahead early
The Wings went on a power play just past the five-minute mark after the first puck drop. Lucas Raymond rimmed a loose puck behind the net, connecting with Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat sent the puck across the top of the circles to Raymond, who slid to the hashmarks and threaded a pass that DeBrincat one-timed past Yaroslav Askarov for a 1-0 lead, at 6:18.
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The Sharks got it back midway through the period. Macklin Celebrini, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 draft and a pick for Team Canada in next month’s Olympics despite not turning 20 until the summer, fired a shot on net. The puck hit Gibson and dropped into the paint, where fellow youngster Will Smith used his backhand to make it 1-1.
Back and forth in the second
The score then shifted toward the Sharks when Nick Leddy, who played part of the 2021-22 season with the Wings, centered a pass that Collin Graf poked into Detroit’s net two minutes into the second period. The Wings came back with a goal five minutes later, with Marco Kasper maneuvering the puck into San Jose’s zone and firing a pass across the low slot to J.T. Compher, who redirected the puck into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
The Wings outshot the Sharks, who came in having won Thursday at the Washington Capitals, 10-4 in the second period for an overall 19-11 advantage after 40 minutes.
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Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings chomp down on San Jose Sharks in third for 4-2 win