Sharks cruise to 5-2 win at Detroit

San Jose's stay in last place didn't last very long.

Logan Couture scored twice, including the go-ahead goal 8 seconds after Niclas Wallin's goal, to lift the Sharks to a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.

Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen each had go-ahead goals in the first period, but the Western Conference-leading Red Wings couldn't hold either lead. Joe Thornton made it 1-all late in the frame and
Dany Heatley gave San Jose a two-goal lead late in the second. Couture sealed the victory in the third with his second goal.

San Jose's Antti Niemi made 25 saves. Jimmy Howard had 30 for Detroit, which fell to 10-2-2 at home.
San Jose improved to 6-5-2 on the road and moved out of last place in Pacific Division.

The Sharks, who jumped over Anaheim, have alternated winning and losing for eight games.

"The motivation can't be external, it has to be internal in our locker room," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. "Until we get that, until we make that decision -- and I've said that over and over and over again -- we'll continue to play the way we're playing.

"I don't know when the light is going to go on. They prove to each other on alternating game nights that they can do it."

Detroit lost its previous game in overtime after winning four straight and nine of 11. The Red Wings' only other loss in regulation at home was Oct. 28 against the Phoenix Coyotes.

"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."

It looked as though they might roll to another win when Holmstrom was perched in front of the net and redirected Nicklas Lidstrom's shot into the net during a power play 7:48 into the game.

Thornton had scored only once in 15 games and had been held to one shot in three of four games before he put in a shorthanded goal during on an odd-man rush with 4:01 left in the first. He was set up by a cross-ice pass from Heatley.

"We came out firing in the second and third periods," Thornton said.

Franzen finished a play in which each of Detroit's five skaters touched the puck. The power-play goal put Detroit ahead 2-1 with 85 seconds remaining in the second.

San Jose snatched the momentum when Wallin and Couture scored 8 seconds apart about 5 minutes into the second period. 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.

"We were good for 20 minutes," Babcock said. "The team that worked the hardest and played the hardest won. You can't turn over pucks and lose battles and be successful."

Material from wire services and team media was used in this report.