Detroit's in deep hole
DETROIT — The San Jose Sharks might've exorcised demons in a fitting place.
Patrick Marleau scored 7:07 into overtime, lifting San Jose to a 4-3 comeback win over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night and a 3-0 lead in the second-round series.
"It does feel good to win in this building," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "We've had a tough time here, but the next one will be difficult."
The Sharks had won three of nine playoff games in Detroit, losing the last two in the 2007 Western Conference semifinals, and just five of 35 matchups during the regular season in their history.
San Jose is quickly making its past moot and Joe Thornton is leading the way.
Thornton's assist set up Marleau's winning score and his second goal in two games sparked a comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the third period.
The sweet-passing center has been called "No Show Joe" by some for not producing in the playoffs.
"I don't know how this evolved, but you saw a very determined 19," McLellan said, referring to Thornton by his jersey number.
Thornton, meanwhile, shrugged off what he had done.
"Business as usual," he said.
Thornton scored on a wraparound goal — sending the puck off Pavel Datsyuk's stick and into his own net — and made a perfect play on the odd-man rush to allow Marleau to score easily into an open net.
San Jose has been dogged for failing to get to the Western Conference finals since its longest run in 2004, but an impressive rally from a 3-1 deficit with 13 minutes left in regulation could prove to be pivotal for the franchise.
"I don't think we were out to convince anybody. We knew we were a different team," McLellan said. "I guess what we have to do is prove that to the hockey world."
Game 4 is Thursday night in Detroit, where the Red Wings will try to stay alive.
"The reality is, we've dug a huge hole for ourselves," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "There's no sense worrying about anything but the next game."
The Red Wings looked as though they had put themselves in a great position to win Game 3 — leading 2-0 in the first and 3-1 in the third — but they blew chances to pad the lead early, and goalie Jimmy Howard let them down late.
"It's a tough pill to swallow," Babcock said.
The two-time defending Western Conference champions haven't been swept since 2003, in the first round by Anaheim, but they are determined to put up a fight.
"It feels bad, but it's still not over," said Howard, who made 29 saves. "You still can't stop believing."
