(12-06) 21:18 PST -- It was an impressive win over the Western Conference-leading Red Wings, but Sharks coach Todd McLellan saw it more as a continuation of a troubling trend.
San Jose was on-again Monday night, beating Detroit 5-2 thanks to two goals from Logan Couture, including the go-ahead second-period score eight seconds after Niclas Wallin scored.
This after an off-again 3-1 loss to Montreal on Saturday. The Sharks have alternated winning and losing for eight games. Their latest win moved them out of last place in the Pacific Division.
"I don't know when the light is going to go on," McLellan said. "They prove to each other on alternating game nights that they can do it.
"The motivation can't be external, it has to be internal in our locker room. Until we get that, until we make that decision ... we'll continue to play the way we're playing."
Which for a night, was well.
San Jose snatched the momentum when Wallin and Couture scored eight seconds apart about five minutes into the second period. Dany Heatley made it 4-2 with 1:03 remaining in the second, and Couture ended any comeback hopes for Detroit when his 12th goal gave the Sharks a 5-2 edge with 8:43 left in the game.
Antti Niemi made 25 saves for San Jose, and Joe Thornton scored his first goal in 11 games.
"They got a good team, I don't think anyone questions that," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "The big thing is, your ups got to be a lot longer than your downs."
Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen scored for the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard made 30 saves.
"We didn't help the goaltender," Babcock said. "The team that worked the hardest and played the hardest won."
Detroit lost its previous game in overtime after winning four straight and nine of 11. Its only other loss in regulation at home was Oct. 28 against the Coyotes.
The five goals matched a team record at Detroit, tying the total San Jose had in the opening game of the 1994 playoffs when the Sharks advanced for the first time in franchise history.
Other games:
Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves as Pittsburgh won its 10th straight, 2-1 over visiting New Jersey. Crosby has nine goals in five games, points in 16 straight and leads the league with 24 goals and 48 points; Fleury is 11-0-1 in his past 12 starts. ... Rick Nash scored with 46.1 seconds left in regulation, then again in a shootout as Columbus snapped a five-game skid with a 3-2 win over Dallas, which lost its six-game winning streak. ... Ondrej Pavelec made 27 saves and host Atlanta won for the eighth time in nine games, beating Nashville 3-2 in overtime. ... Toronto rallied from a three-goal third-period deficit to beat host Washington 5-4 in a shootout.
Briefly:
Forward Bill Guerin, unable to land a contract, retired after a career in which he scored 429 goals. ... New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur (elbow) missed his seventh straight game but dressed as a backup. ... Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin (knee) sat out a second successive game.
This article appeared on page B - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
niclas wallin, johan franzen, tomas holmstrom, mike babcock, sidney crosby, game nights, franchise history, dany heatley, red wings, eight seconds, joe thornton, coach mike, eight games, mclellan, goaltender, niemi, second period, coyotes, couture, sharks
qtdz
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