Derek Lalonde commends the Detroit Red Wings for their “great response” against the Sharks following two goals by David Perron.
With the San Jose Sharks on an eight-game losing run, the Detroit Red Wings had a great opportunity to turn things around. They lost the first two fiercely contested periods, but they came back to win the third and earn two critical points at SAP Center. After the game, head coach Derek Lalonde was all over the media, complimenting his team’s tenacious reaction, which was spearheaded by two goals by David Perron in the third period.
The Red Wings surged ahead for a third-period victory.
With Daniel Sprong’s power play goal in the first period, the Red Wings took a 1-0 lead thanks to Sprong’s 10th goal of the year. San Jose quickly tied the score with an odd goal: goalie Alex Lyon bumped the puck while trying to cover it with his glove, causing it to cross the goal line.
J.T. Compher scored his ninth goal early in the second period to give the Red Wings a larger advantage. But the Sharks answered quickly, leveling the score with a redirected shot from Mario Ferraro thanks to Justin Bailey. Alexander Barbanov’s turnaround shot in the midst of heavy traffic midway through the third period gave the Sharks their first lead of the game.
After a long goal drought, veteran David Perron tied the score with a one-time shot after Sprong’s accurate feed. Then, Perron’s centering pass unintentionally ricocheted off a Sharks skate and into the net, giving him his second goal of the game. Michael Rasmussen scored into an empty net to give the Red Wings the victory with seconds remaining in regulation.
Lalonde praised the third-period comeback, calling it a “great response.” “Out of the last three games, we have won two. However, in our last three games, we were actually tied 2-2 in the third quarter and still managed to lose. In this instance, we were down 2-2 and had let up the third goal, but we persisted and managed to win in regulation.
