Though the Detroit Red Wings were able to score first against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, the first-period goal from Niklas Kronwall wasn't enough to give the Red Wings enough momentum to win. The Sharks would go on to score five straight goals, three of which came in the second period. Joe Pavelski tied it with 12 seconds to go in the first period, and then Joe Thornton, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Torrey Mitchell scored in the second.
At that point, goalie Jimmy Howard was pulled and replaced by backup Ty Conklin. Howard finished with 17 saves on 21 shots against, allowing four goals. Conklin would go on to allow the fifth goal, to Brad Winchester halfway through the final frame, and finished with six of seven saves. Vlasic had four points on the night for San Jose, while Danny Cleary joined Kronwall with the other Detroit goal, both of which came on the power play.
The loss gives the Red Wings their second-straight loss, also falling to the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. They're 0-2 on their present four-game road trip, which is coming after they finished out a six-game homestand with four straight wins. Next, they'll try and shake off the loss and continue their California road trip when they take on the Los Angeles Kings, before a matchup with the Anaheim Ducks to close out the trip.