Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings vs. San Jose: What to Know

Published

5 months ago

December 7, 2023

Tim Robinson

Game Facts

Who: Red Wings vs. San Jose

Where: Little Caesars Arena

When: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio: Bally Sports/97.1 FM

Records: Red Wings 14-7-3, Sharks 7-17 -2

What to Know

The big day has arrived. Patrick Kane will make his debut with the Red Wings tonight. He’s been with the team for a couple of weeks, but coach Derek Lalonde says Kane has already impressed his new team. “I think the jolt has been the professional individual he’s been around our group,” Lalonde said Wednesday. “He passes the physical and we’re in New York as a team and he get to New York midnight just to be with the group. Little things like that. It’s been a boost for him being around the guys. He’s been a really good teammate from the sidelines and we’re excited to get him in tomorrow.”

Ville Husso will be in net tonight as he and Alex Lyon likely continue their rotation in goal. “We’d like to play it day by day, have a routine where goalies know the day before the game. His play of late again last night in Buffalo, I’d be surprised if Alex isn’t in net again on Saturday.”

The Sharks are playing the fifth game in a six-game road trip tonight, After beating the Islanders on Tuesday, San Jose is 2-2 on trip. But they’ve struggled mightily this season. They’re last in the NHL in both goals (2.0 per game) and shots taken (24.8) this season. The Sharks also have been racked with injuries.

The Red Wings are looking to snap out of a recent trend that has seen them get out to big leads the last two games, only to struggle down the stretch. Lalonde says a lack of discipline has been partly to blame. “It’s the NHL. When a team’s up, do not give the referee an opportunity to call something and we’ve done a poor job with that,” he said. “We took some bad penalties that put ourselves in a bad position and it took a pretty gutsy effort down the stretch, six-on-four, to get that win last night. So, I think there’s some growth in there. The good thing is we’re putting ourselves in these position and getting some experience.”