Lucas Raymond didn’t find the back of the net in regulation Saturday, but he still ended the night as the man who decided it for Detroit.
Raymond scored the shootout winner as the Red Wings held off the San Jose Sharks for a 4-3 victory at Little Caesars Arena. It was the finishing touch on a comeback that had already been sparked late by Alex DeBrincat, who tied the game with 1:33 left in regulation with John Gibson on the bench for an extra attacker.
Detroit needed the late push after San Jose controlled much of the first-period play. The Red Wings still struck first, and they did it on the power play when Justin Faulk’s shot from the point slipped past former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and into the net.
The Sharks answered before the period ended. On their own power play, Dmitry Orlov sent a point shot through Gibson to level the score at 1-1.
San Jose kept the pressure on into the second period and grabbed the lead when Macklin Celebrini finished a tic-tac-toe sequence with Will Smith and Michael Kesselring. Celebrini’s shot beat Gibson high on the glove side, off the goalie’s shoulder and into the top corner.
By the third period, the Sharks had stretched the margin to 3-1 on a power-play goal from rookie forward Ivar Stenberg. Detroit cut into that lead when Emmitt Finnie redirected Michael Brandsegg-Nygard’s pass for his third goal of the season, setting up DeBrincat’s equalizer in the closing minute.
Overtime brought another key chance for San Jose, but the Sharks couldn’t convert after Andrew Copp was sent off for hooking Celebrini. Moritz Seider helped shut that down, finishing with two blocked shots and a takeaway on the penalty kill.
There was more than just the result hanging around the box score. Michael Rasmussen picked up an assist on Faulk’s goal, giving him points in consecutive games after a 32-game stretch without one.
Seider logged a game-high 29:46 of ice time. Former Red Wings player and assistant coach Doug Houda is now on the Sharks’ staff.
Celebrini was involved in all three San Jose goals, while a dozen Red Wings players still have not reached three points this season.
Detroit now turns the page to its first road swing of the season. After opening with seven of its first eight games at home, the Red Wings head to Seattle on Tuesday to face the Kraken in the first game of a four-game Western trip. Game time is 9:40 p.m.
In Other News...
Red Wings Prospect Update Puts Two Young Names In The Spotlight
Max Plantes season has hit a brief snag at a time when Detroit has every reason to keep close tabs on its prospects. The reigning Hobey Baker winner and Red Wings prospect is out with an upper-body injury, leaving his status in the week-to-week range while the organization waits for word on when he can get back on the ice.
There was still some good news in the Plante family pipeline, though, as younger brother Victor Plante, another Detroit 2026 draft pick, had a goal and two assists in Minnesota-Duluths 7-1 win over Minnesota, with older brother Zam adding two assists of his own for the Bulldogs. Elsewhere in the system, prospect Adam Levac is serving a four-game suspension in the Ontario Hockey League after a match penalty, another reminder that the Red Wings developmental watch list can change quickly from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Enter Sharks Matchup With One Lineup Issue Getting Urgent
The Red Wings are heading into their home meeting with the San Jose Sharks with the kind of lineup decision that can linger over a young season. Detroit has already had to juggle injuries and performance questions while sorting through its first seven games, and the coaching staff is still weighing how to keep the roster both competitive now and flexible later. Thats where the conversation around Carter Mazur has started to matter, because his usage has been limited and the team cannot treat every move as a simple paper transaction.
Mazur has appeared in only three of Detroits first seven games, which has added a little urgency to a decision the Red Wings would rather not rush. With the Sharks coming to town, the matchup offers another opportunity to evaluate the bottom of the lineup and the ripple effects of any change, especially when roster management is part of the calculus. For a team still trying to settle into the season, this is the kind of issue that can shape more than one night on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Lucas Raymond Is Facing An Early Red Wings Question Again
Lucas Raymond is still searching for his first goal of the season as the Red Wings turn from a win over the Philadelphia Flyers to a home date with the San Jose Sharks, and the early-season dry spell has become one of the quieter storylines hanging over Detroits strong start. For a player who has been central to what the Red Wings want to do offensively, the lack of a breakthrough has naturally drawn attention, even if the mood around him has not turned bleak.
Raymond has kept the right posture publicly, and both Alex DeBrincat and Todd McLellan have backed up the idea that the offense will come. McLellans read is that the winger is frustrated more than anything else, but still confident enough to shake it off, which is usually the kind of combination a team would rather see than panic this early in the year. The question now is less about whether Raymond will finish chances and more about when the first one finally opens the door. [Read more 🡒]