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Detroit extends home win streak to 23

Joey MacDonald, Niklas Kronwall, Drew Miller

Detroit Red Wings goalie Joey MacDonald (31) is congratulated by teammate Niklas Kronwall (55), of Sweden, and Drew Miller (20) after their shootout win over the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game in Detroit, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. The win extended the Red Wings’ home winning streak to 19 games. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

AP

The San Jose Sharks are actually one of the few teams that have managed to beat the Detroit Red Wings at home this season, having done so on Oct. 28. However, they could not repeat that feat on Sunday as the Red Wings earned their 23rd consecutive victory at home.

This time, Drew Miller was the unlikely hero, scoring the game-winning goal and registering an assist for the Red Wings.

Joey MacDonald stayed hot, turning aside 31 of 33 Sharks shots while preserving his personal six-game winning streak. MacDonald has also allowed just two or fewer goals in each of his last three starts.

Logan Couture netted his 25th goal of the season at 14:33 of the second period to make it a 2-1 game. Joe Thornton also registered his 40th assist on the goal, which makes this the 10th consecutive season that he has reached that milestone.

Darren Helm netted what would prove to be the game-winning goal midway through the third period. San Jose’s Patrick Marleau made it interesting by scoring his 23rd goal of the season with just 4:44 remaining in regulation, it ultimately proved to be too little, too late.

For Detroit, Sunday’s victory concluded their six-game homestand, but their matchup in Chicago on Tuesday should be a heated contest. They’ll then return home for a game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday as the two squads fight for the first seed in the Western Conference.

The San Jose Sharks have now lost three straight games and are in serious jeopardy of losing their paper thin grip on the Pacific Division lead. They’ll try to rebound on Tuesday against the last place Columbus Blue Jackets.