Red Wings end 100-game shorthanded drought in win against Sharks

The Detroit Red Wings scored two shorthanded goals in 37 seconds to end a 100-game drought without one in a 6-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tuesday.

Red Wings forward Givani Smith was given a major penalty for boarding and a game misconduct at 18:16 of the first period, and the Red Wings scored twice while shorthanded and held the Sharks to two shots.
"When you start getting deep into a five-minute kill without giving up good chances, you get a lot of momentum and you take away a lot of their momentum," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.
Pius Suter ended the drought at 2:04 of the second period for a 2-0 lead, and Tyler Bertuzzi made it 3-0 by finishing off a 2-on-1 break at 2:41.
"We went into the second period with four minutes left on the power play, expecting to change the momentum in our favor, and then give up two goals," Sharks forward Tomas Hertl said. "That's embarrassing."

It was the first NHL shorthanded goal for each player.
"You don't really kill a major any differently than you kill a minor. You are just trying to survive being shorthanded and go from there," Suter said. "Getting through it and suddenly having a 3-0 lead was obviously huge for us."
Detroit hadn't scored a shorthanded goal since Darren Helm had one in a 4-1 loss at the Boston Bruins on Feb. 15, 2020, a span of 286 power plays.
"We didn't attack any more than we normally do, but we blocked shots and got sticks in the passing lanes," Blashill said. "That's how you create turnovers and shorthanded chances."
Suter and Bertuzzi each scored twice, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for Detroit (16-15-3), which had lost six of its past eight games.
"This was a fun night," Suter said. "We had great energy in the building, and playing this well will give us a boost before we head out west tomorrow."
San Jose (17-16-1) played without captain Logan Couture, who went into COVID-19 protocol earlier in the day. James Reimer allowed four goals on 24 shots before being replaced by Adin Hill for the third period. Hill made five saves on seven shots.
"We're frustrated because we're competitors and we don't like losing," Reimer said. "We especially don't like losing big, but we have to let this sting a bit and then come back tomorrow and work on things."
Jasper Weatherby tipped in a Brent Burns shot to cut the lead to 3-1 at 4:03, but Suter made it 4-1 at 9:32.
Alexander Barabanov pulled San Jose within 4-2 at 1:40 of the third, but Dylan Larkin (3:51) and Robby Fabbri (5:01) scored 1:10 apart for the 6-2 final.
"[Larkin's] goal was a huge moment in the hockey game," Blashill said. "It was 4-2, and if they get another one, now we're having to grind out a one-goal game, but at 5-2 we knew we had a chance to put them away."

Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 13:02 of the first period when his pass from behind the goal line deflected in off Reimer's stick.
"We were engaged at the start of the game and we had 5-6 shots, so that goal took the wind out of our sails a little bit," Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. "But we lost the game by giving up two shorthanded goals on one penalty."
Jake Middleton did not return after sustaining an upper-body injury on Smith's hit.
"He left the game not feeling very well at all, so we'll have to see how he is tomorrow," Boughner said.
NOTES: Detroit hadn't scored two shorthanded goals on the same penalty since Brendan Shanahan and Doug Brown scored 11 seconds apart in a 5-2 win against Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 17, 1999. … Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy had an assist in 19:10 after missing two games in COVID protocol. … Bertuzzi has scored six goals in the past five games. … Detroit defenseman Gustav Lindstrom had two assists. … San Jose forward Timo Meier had an assist. He has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in the past five games. … The Sharks have been outscored 14-7 in the past two games. They lost 8-5 at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.