DETROIT (AP) — For a change, the Detroit Red Wings played a sound game and got rewarded for it.
Jonathan Bernier made 34 saves, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 15th goal and Detroit beat the San Jose Sharks 2-0 Tuesday night to end a six-game losing streak.
“I thought we played pretty good hockey. We weren’t perfect but I thought we did a real good job of defending,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “I thought (Bernier) was real good but I also thought we played pretty good defensively.”
It was Bernier’s first shutout of the season and 18th of his career.
“You have to stick with it. At some point, you work hard in practice and those bounces are gonna turn,” Bernier said. “There’s a couple of saves tonight I got lucky and it just hit me. That’s just hockey.”
Filip Hronek also scored for Detroit, which had dropped all six games during its skid in regulation.
Martin Jones stopped 21 shots for San Jose, which has lost 11 of its last 13 (2-9-2).
“We just need to be better offensively,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said. “We didn't give them much, but we didn't get enough traffic in front and we didn't make it hard on their goaltender. We just need to get better.”
Bernier’s biggest save came on Couture from the slot with a little more than six minutes left after a turnover deep in the Red Wings zone.
Bertuzzi scored 3:15 into the second period when he tipped defenseman Madison Bowey’s shot from the right point. It was the team-leading 15th goal for Bertuzzi, who will represent Detroit in the All-Star Game.
“It was an overall good game by us. A lot of guys stepped up,” Bertuzzi said.
Hronek scored into an empty net with 48.2 seconds left. It was the defenseman’s eighth goal.
NOTE: San Jose recalled F Joachim Blichfeld from AHL San Jose on Monday. ... Detroit F Andreas Athanasiou did not play and will miss two-to-three weeks with a lower-body injury. ... The Red Wings recalled LW Givani Smith from AHL Grand Rapids. ... Detroit D Mike Green was a late scratch.
NEXT UP
Sharks: Visit Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Red Wings: Visit Dallas on Friday night.
