DETROIT (AP) _ The Detroit Red Wings won a game and lost another goaltender.
Steve Yzerman scored twice, lifting Detroit past the San Jose Sharks 4-2 Wednesday night. However, Curtis Joseph sprained his right ankle and could be out a while.
Joseph was replaced by Manny Legace to start the second period. The Sharks' Jonathan Cheechoo tripped and fell into Joseph's legs in the first period, knocking him to the ice.
``Just twisted my ankle, something you couldn't see coming,'' said Joseph. ``Unfortunately, the guy lost an edge.''
Joseph had surgery on Aug. 19, to remove bone chips from his right ankle and is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Thursday.
It was Detroit's first game after losing Dominik Hasek for the remainder of the season with an injured groin. That made Joseph the Red Wings' unquestioned No. 1 goaltender, but now he might be sidelined again.
``It's unbelievable,'' said Joseph. ``At least it's something that won't be long term.''
Kirk Maltby had a goal and an assist, Tomas Holmstrom scored the other Detroit goal and Kris Draper added two assists.
``Going into the All-Star break, we had a cluster of goaltenders,'' said Draper. ``And now we have one.''
Legace stopped 19 shots, and he and the Red Wings got another scare when Alyn McCauley bowled over Legace in the crease with 9:14 remaining. Legace was prone in the goal for a few seconds and then got to his feet.
``He just knocked me over into the net,'' Legace said.
``It's been a yo-yo effect all year,'' Legace said of the Wings' goaltending saga. ``It's been a weird year for goaltending in this room.''
Nils Ekman and Wayne Primeau scored for San Jose.
Maltby's short-handed goal was the only scoring in the opening period.
With Darren McCarty off for high-sticking Todd Harvey, Maltby beat San Jose defenseman Scott Hannan at the Red Wings' blue line and sent Draper on a breakaway. Sharks' goalie Vesa Toskala stopped Draper, but Maltby followed the play and put in the rebound.
``It was just lying in the crease and I knocked it into the empty net,'' said Maltby.
Holmstrom gave Detroit a 2-0 lead in the second period when his wrist shot from the high slot beat Toskala between his pads.
Ekman got the Sharks' first goal 2:19 later when he beat Legace on a low wrist from the bottom of the right circle.
Yzerman restored the Red Wings' two-goal lead when he beat Toskala between the pads from the top of the right circle.
Yzerman's second goal came on a power play midway in the third period.
``They scored three goals straight through my five-hole,'' said Toskala.
Primeau added a goal with 7:59 remaining.
``We have to shore up our defense,'' San Jose center Mike Ricci. ``We give them too many opportunities.''
