Red Wings vs. Sharks: Alex DeBrincat's Late Equalizer and Lucas Raymond's Shootout Goal Rally Detroit

Macklin Celebrini did almost everything a franchise center not yet 21 can do in a hockey game. He scored, he set up two more, he drew three penalties, and for 58 minutes he looked like the reason the San Jose Sharks were heading to Toronto with two more points. Then the Detroit Red Wings pulled their goalie.

Alex DeBrincat tied it with 1:33 left in regulation, Lucas Raymond scored the only goal of the shootout, and Detroit rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat San Jose 4-3 on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. John Gibson made 31 saves, and the Red Wings won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Power Plays Trade Punches

The first period was a special-teams duel. Gibson set the tone early, sprawling to kick away a Celebrini chance midway through the period. Then Detroit cashed in first: with Mason Marchment in the box for interference, Justin Faulk sent a shot from the point through a maze of bodies at 12:47 for a 1-0 lead.

San Jose's answer was a near carbon copy. Ben Chiarot was called for holding Celebrini's stick at 17:37, and 22 seconds later Dmitry Orlov beat Gibson from the blue line on the power play. In between, Keegan Kolesar and Barclay Goodrow dropped the gloves at 16:27, which is about as close to a palate cleanser as this game offered.

Celebrini Takes Over

Early in the second, a Detroit mistake became a San Jose lead. William Wallinder's clearing attempt never made it out, Michael Kesselring jumped on it, Will Smith redirected it with a quick touch, and Celebrini teed up a slap shot from the high slot at 4:55. That made it 2-1 and gave Celebrini his third goal of the season.

He was not done. Andreas Englund tripped Marchment at 1:46 of the third, and the Sharks went to work: Celebrini and Alexander Wennberg played catch until the puck found Ivar Stenberg, who tucked it just under the crossbar at 2:48 for his second NHL goal and a 3-1 lead.

At that point, San Jose had been perfect in games that went past regulation, 4-0 in overtime and shootouts, and was holding a two-goal cushion. It felt over.

The Turning Point: Finnie Answers Fast

It was not over, because Detroit needed only 2:12 to make it a game again. On a Detroit rush, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard sent a pass to the far post, Orlov could not get a piece of it, and Emmitt Finnie tipped it in at 5:00 to make it 3-2.

Orlov owned it afterward, which deserves credit. "We probably lost that game because of me," he said. "I needed to be closer to him and not even give him a chance at the puck."

From there the pressure built. With Gibson on the bench for an extra attacker, DeBrincat got to a rebound in a scramble at the net and jammed it in at 18:27. It was his team-high fifth goal and left him one shy of 300 for his career, according to the AP. It was also the second straight game in which the Sharks allowed a 6-on-5 tying goal, a stat that will sit badly with their coach.

"There's definitely room for improvement when you give up a goal like that two games in a row," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

Overtime offered San Jose one more opening. Andrew Copp went off for holding Celebrini at 2:32, the third penalty Celebrini drew on the night, but the Red Wings killed it. Moritz Seider ate a game-high 29:46 and was a fixture on the kill, with two blocks and a takeaway while shorthanded.

"He's a machine," Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said of Seider.

In the shootout, the first four shooters came up empty: DeBrincat missed wide, then Gibson and Alex Nedeljkovic took turns making saves. Raymond broke the stalemate in the third round, and Gibson stopped Stenberg to end it. According to NHL.com, Detroit shooters had missed their first eight shootout attempts of the season before Raymond scored.

Who Stood Out

Macklin Celebrini: One goal, two assists and 26:54 of ice time in a losing effort. NHL.com noted it was his 23rd three-point game, making him the eighth player in NHL history with that many before turning 21. He was blunt about the finish. "We had chances, but there were a couple rolling pucks and a couple missed shots that we would really like back," he said.

Emmitt Finnie: A goal and an assist, plus three blocked shots. McLellan praised his adjustment to the middle of the ice: "It impresses me how quickly he has adjusted from playing the wing to playing center."

Moritz Seider: Two assists, four blocked shots and four hits on top of that monster minutes total.

John Gibson: 31 saves on 34 shots, plus three stops in the shootout. "We have faced some adversity and been down in games, but we're staying close and finding ways to win," he said.

Lucas Raymond: He has not scored a goal yet this season, but he scored the one that counted most on Saturday. "I'd love to see one go in, but I'll keep shooting and something will go in," Raymond said.

Stats That Matter

• 2 for 6: San Jose's power play, which produced the goals by Orlov and Stenberg.
• 21-11: Detroit's edge in blocked shots, with Seider and Rasmussen combining for seven.
• 4-0: San Jose's record in overtime and shootouts before this one.
• 24 of 27: Nedeljkovic's saves against the team he used to play for.
• 28-18: Detroit's advantage in hits.

What It Means

Detroit moves to 3-3-2 with eight points and has a four-game point streak (2-0-2). Saturday also closed a season-opening stretch in which the Red Wings played seven of their first eight games at home, where they are now 3-3-1. Raymond framed the win around what comes next. "That's obviously a big goal, because it gets us a win and two points before we go on the road," he said. The Red Wings visit Seattle on Tuesday.

San Jose falls to 4-3-1 with nine points, its first loss beyond regulation this season, in the second of six straight road games. The Sharks visit Toronto on Monday, and the late-game details Warsofsky mentioned will be the homework.

Closing Take

San Jose has a superstar in Celebrini, and nights like this are part of the tuition. Two straight blown leads with an empty net at the other end is the hockey equivalent of a horror movie character checking the basement alone. Detroit, meanwhile, keeps finding exits from games that look lost. That habit travels.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.