SAN JOSE – Moritz Seider‘s first goal of the season broke a tie in the third period, and the Detroit Red Wings held off the San Jose Sharks in a 7-4 win at the SAP Center on Thursday.
Seider gave Detroit a 5-4 lead at 13:54 after San Jose erased a two-goal deficit earlier in the third.
“I think we did a really good job,” the Red Wings forward David Perron said. “Obviously, we didn’t back down. They took it to us in the first period, but we wanted a good response back in the second. I think we did that. Also, when they had those two quick goals in the third, we didn’t have any quit in us and we kept going.”
Video: DET@SJS: Seider nets 1st of season in 3rd period
Perron had a goal and two assists. Pius Suter and Dominik Kubalik each had a goal and an assist, and Dylan Larkin had two assists for Detroit (8-5-4), which ended a four-game skid (0-2-2). Ville Husso made 21 saves.
The Red Wings conclude a four-game road trip Saturday at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“It was huge,” the Detroit forward said Joe Veleno said. “Coming in here with a win is huge for us. We can still get five of those eight points on our road trip. You don’t want to be under .500, so I think it was a huge win for us today.”
Erik Karlsson had a goal and three assists, and James Reimer made 14 saves for the San Jose (6-10-3), which had won three straight.
“There were a lot of ebbs and flows in that game and a lot of great moments for us, but unfortunately, we gave up goals, especially in the second [period],” Sharks coach David Quinn said. “I thought we had a really good first period, and then they flipped the switch on us in the second.”
Kevin Labanc gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 6:56 of the first period when Karlsson set him up with a no-look pass between his legs.
Video: DET@SJS: Labanc scores 3rd of season in 1st period
Karlsson leads NHL defensemen in goals (11) and points (28), and is tied for second among NHL skaters in points with the Edmonton Oilers forward. Leon Draisaitl (nine goals, 19 assists).
“He’s got eyes in the back of his head,” Labanc said. “He’s got that skill where the puck just doesn’t seem to leave his stick.”
Filip Hronek tied it 1-1 at 9:39 when he took a cross-ice pass from Perron after the Sharks turned the puck over in their own zone.
Matt Nieto put San Jose back in front at 12:52 when he scored on a 4-on-1 to make it 2-1.
Perron tied it 2-2 at 11:27 of the second period, and Walman gave Detroit a 3-2 lead at 16:44 with a slap shot from below the left face-off circle.
Veleno made it 4-2 at 4:15 of the third when he scored on a wraparound.
“It just was one of those games where you just try and grind it out and try to get some points so you can feel good about yourself,” Reimer said. “Tonight, unfortunately we just couldn’t do it.”
Video: DET@SJS: Veleno nets 3rd of season in 3rd period
Logan Couture cut it to 4-3 at 8:58 when he scored on a rebound before Karlsson tied it 4-4 with a wrist shot from the left circle at 11:31.
Suter made it 6-4 at 16:23, and Kubalik scored an empty-net goal at 18:45 for the 7-4 final.
“I just think it’s important to find a way to win a game,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “I challenged the guys a little bit, and we really flipped that second period. We started winning those battles, flipped the game, took the lead. Pretty proud of the guys at 4-4, our game was fine. Unfortunately, just two face-off goals hit the back of the net.
“They hung in there and found a way to get a win on the road against a pretty good team, so this is a good win for us.”
NOTES: It was Karlsson’s ninth multipoint game, and his second four-point game this season; he had three goals and one assist in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 1. …Detroit associate coach Bob Boughner returned to San Jose for the first time since he was fired as Sharks coach July 1 after three seasons (67-85-23).
.