DETROIT — Tonight felt like an opportunity lost for the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks, following an uninspiring middle frame where they mustered just four shots, were still tied at two apiece with the Detroit Red Wings, going into the third period.

This was a chance to steal a point in a back-to-back.

Instead, the San Jose Sharks gave up a quick third period goal to Dylan Larkin, eventually falling 4-2.

These are the margins where a playoff spot is won or lost.

San Jose did play a better final frame, outshooting a quality Detroit side 10-7. They enjoyed some Grade-A scoring chances, which John Gibson turned away.

But they also didn’t do much with a third period power play and the Larkin goal was off a John Klingberg turnover. Their wounds tonight were a lot self-inflicted.

Klingberg, as head coach Ryan Warsofsky would note later, wasn’t the only Sharks player to struggle tonight.

But anyway, this is the kind of game where San Jose will have to start stealing a point or two from. The kind of game that’s a chance for the young Sharks to learn how to dig deep in the clutch when they don’t have their best — and play that one good period or one shift that they need to steal an extra point.

“Our guys worked hard,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “[But] our brains weren’t turned on, our puck play was horrendous.”

That might be the difference between a playoff berth or not, for a Sharks squad that could be trying to sneak into the playoffs via the wild card.

“Hopefully,” Warsofsky said, “it’s a learning moment.”

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky didn’t think much of #SJSharks play tonight as a team: “We couldn’t make a play for the life of us…our brains weren’t turned on, our puck play was horrendous.”

I asked about Klingberg, Eklund & Regenda, to name a few: “Some guys had some tough nights. It’s going to…

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 17, 2026

Will Smith

Collin Graf

Graf, on how the San Jose Sharks can improve for their next game:

Florida, they’re really structured. They’re obviously back-to-back champs. I think for us, it’s just not giving them anything easy and making them work for it. That seems our key to team success, when we make teams go 200 feet and make it hard on them. So that’s what we got to stick to.

John Klingberg

Credit always to Klingberg, who never shy aways from responsibility: “The 2nd goal, I thought Mis was coming up on the boards, so I was going to give it to him. I’m just making a bad read. I try to pinch [Kasper]. Eventually, I ended up on the outside, and he jumps on the inside.…

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) January 17, 2026