SAN JOSE, Calif. _ On a night where the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues provided assists, the San Jose Sharks failed to step up and do their part, firing wide on an opportunity to gain ground in the Pacific Division standings.
The Detroit Red Wings extended the Sharks' season-high losing streak to six games on Monday, picking up a 3-2 win at SAP Center that further narrowed the home team's chances of earning the top seed in the Western Conference.
As a result, the Sharks remain six points behind the Calgary Flames, who lost to the Kings, for first place in the Pacific Division. The Sharks also blew a chance to stretch their lead for second place to seven points as the Vegas Golden Knights fell to the Blues earlier in the night.
Over their last three games, the Sharks have lost games to the NHL's 30th, 29th and 25th ranked teams. The six-game losing streak is the team's longest since it dropped six in a row from March 16 to March 25, 2017.
Dylan Larkin opened the scoring just 38 seconds into the game, converting a breakaway opportunity after Justin Braun and Brenden Dillon fumbled chances to clear the puck in the neutral zone, giving him a free walk to the net.
The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead at 15:37 of the second, capitalizing on another neutral zone turnover by the Sharks. Andreas Athanasiou slipped a backhander past Martin Jones on a breakaway after Joakim Ryan coughed up the puck while trying to stickhandle through the Red Wings' defense in the neutral zone.
Detroit added an insurance goal at 8:35 of the third during a Sharks power play. Christoffer Ehn fired in a pass from Luke Glendening after the Sharks defense left him open in front of the net. Evander Kane scored the Sharks lone goal 20 seconds later, punching in his own rebound on the power play. Joe Thornton and Tim Heed picked up assists on the play.
Tomas Hertl scored his 33rd of the season with just four seconds left on the clock.
The Sharks will return to action at SAP Center on Thursday, playing the second game of a four-game homestand against the Chicago Blackhawks.
