The Red Wings get another look at a Sharks team that has quietly started to look dangerous, and the timing adds a little extra weight for Detroit. San Jose arrives tied in points for a Western Conference wild-card spot, while Detroit is trying to steady itself at home as this seven-game homestand - one that wraps up a stretch of seven home games in its first eight - keeps rolling.
Detroit comes in at 2-3-2, while San Jose is 4-3-0. The Sharks also head into a four-game road trip starting Tuesday in Seattle, so this one sits right in the middle of a busy early-season run for both clubs.
A lot of the early Detroit conversation starts in goal, where Daniil Tarasov has become one of the team’s biggest surprises. He has an NHL-leading 0.80 goals-against average, along with a 1-0-1 record and a .965 save percentage, and he’s earned the right to make a second straight start. John Gibson is backing him up.
The Red Wings also have some other fast-moving storylines. Lucas Raymond still hasn’t scored through his first eight games of the season, while rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard keeps pushing his way into the spotlight.
He is second on the team in scoring with five points and leads Detroit with 27 hits. That kind of impact is hard to miss.
There’s also a milestone chase sitting in the middle of the lineup. Alex DeBrincat needs two more goals to become the fourth Michigan native to reach 300 NHL goals.
He currently trails Mike Modano (561), Brian Rolston (342) and Kyle Connor (329) on the Michigan goals list. And for Todd McLellan, the benchwork continues to stack up; his 667 NHL coaching wins tie him with Claude Julien for 16th on the league’s all-time list.
Detroit’s projected forward groups have Nate Danielson centering Dylan Larkin and Victor Arvidsson on the top line, with DeBrincat flanked by Emmitt Finnie and Brandsegg-Nygard on the second unit. Michael Rasmussen is lined up with Andrew Copp and Raymond, while Keegan Kolisar, Sheldon Dries and Carter Mazur form the fourth line.
On the blue line, the pairings show Albert Johansson with Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot with Anton Johansson, and William Wallinder with Justin Faulk. Axel Sandin-Pellikka is listed as the extra defenseman. The subs are Carter Mazur, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Andreas Englund.
Injuries continue to shape Detroit’s options. Marco Kasper is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Mason Appleton is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and JT Compher is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
San Jose brings a different set of questions. Yaroslav Askarov has handled five of the Sharks’ seven games, but former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is making a push for more time after stopping 32 shots in Thursday’s 3-2 shootout win over Nashville. Macklin Celebrini scored the deciding goal in the shootout.
The Sharks have averaged 2.57 goals per game so far, though their power play is clicking at 20 percent. Their lineup features Igor Chernyshov, Celebrini and Will Smith on the top line, followed by Mason Marchment, Alexander Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli. Ivar Stenberg, Michael Misa and Kiefer Sherwood make up the third line, with Barclay Goodrow, Zack Ostapchuk and Collin Graf on the fourth.
San Jose’s defense pairs Dmitry Orlov with Michael Kesselring, Sam Dickinson with Jacob Trouba, and Nolan Allan with Luca Cagnoni. Nedeljkovic is listed as the starter, with Askarov backing him up.
The Sharks’ injury list includes Darnell Nurse, who is day-to-day and a game-time decision, along with Quentin Musty and Kyle Keyser, both on injured reserve with upper-body injuries. TV and radio coverage is on DSN and 97.1 FM.
In Other News...
Carter Mazur Is Running Out Of Chances With The Red Wings
Carter Mazurs path in Detroit has already been defined too often by bad timing. Since the Red Wings drafted him in 2021, injuries have repeatedly interrupted his momentum, including the season-ending setback on his first shift of the 2024-25 season. After finally getting back into the mix this year, he has been trying to reestablish himself while working with limited ice time and production.
The bigger issue now is less about talent than opportunity. Mazur needs to show enough to stick in the lineup as the Red Wings sort through roster decisions and decide who can hold down a regular role. For a young player still trying to carve out an NHL future, every game matters, and the margin for error is getting smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face Another Huge Goalie Decision They Can't Miss
Detroits goaltending picture is getting crowded in a hurry, and the organization is once again staring at a decision it cannot afford to miss. The trade of top prospect Sebastian Cossa changed the long-term outlook, while Michal Postava has quietly pushed himself into the conversation with strong play in Grand Rapids, giving the Red Wings another name to track as they sort out what the future in net should look like.
What makes the situation trickier is that neither goalie has really been given a meaningful NHL runway, leaving Detroit to project from a distance instead of leaning on certainty. The choices that put the club in this spot were made under the previous regime, and with new leadership in place, the next round of decisions could look very different as the Red Wings try to avoid another misstep at a position that can shape everything. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Front Office Uncertainty Could Define Detroits Next Direction
Detroits offseason has started with a layer of front-office uncertainty that could shape everything from the next hire to the next major roster decision. Owner Chris Ilitch said the club is looking for a President of Hockey Operations who will then decide on the full-time general manager, leaving the organization in a transition period while interim GM Shawn Horcoff keeps working with the roster in the meantime.
Horcoff remains a candidate for the permanent job, but the bigger question for fans is how much longer the current setup will linger while trade talks involving former captain Dylan Larkin continue. Restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson is not being shopped by Horcoff at this point, yet the broader picture still feels fluid as Detroit tries to sort out who will ultimately be steering the next phase. [Read more 🡒]