Up next: San Jose Sharks

DETROIT --If the NHL was around during the days of Abraham Lincoln, you would have to imagine the Red Wings' next opponent, the San Jose Sharks (26-15-7, 59 points) on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena (8:00 p.m. face off), would have been one of Honest Abe's favorite teams.
Not only do the Sharks have two of greatest beards in pro sports with the flowing manes of Joe Thornton and Brent Burns, they're also a very good hockey team while transitioning into becoming a younger club.

San Jose sits in second place in the Pacific Division, nine points behind the surprising Vegas Golden Knights, and the Sharks are just two points out of fifth place in their division.
In the Western Conference wild card race, the Dallas Stars have 60 points and hold onto the first wild card spot, while the streaking Colorado Avalanche hold the second wild card spot with 57 points. But three other Western Conference teams have 57 points as well, making the final couple months an absolute free-for-all for the teams trying to secure a playoff berth.
Unfortunately for the Sharks, they will be without Thornton for a minimum of six weeks after a third period collision with teammate Mikkel Boedker during the Sharks' 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on January 23 in San Jose.
Thornton, 38, was placed on injured reserve on January 24 and underwent an arthroscopic procedure to repair damage to the MCL in his right knee.
"The guy's a legend. It's tough to lose a guy like that," Burns told reporters after the Sharks' 6-5 loss to the New York Rangers last Thursday. "You can say whatever, but other guys get a bigger chance for a bigger role, more ice. It is what it is, teams lose top guys all the time, you have to battle through it."
Thursday's game against the Rangers was the first time the Sharks played without Thornton or Patrick Marleau in their lineup since January 21, 2004.
Marleau signed a free agent deal this past summer with the Toronto Maple Leafs after spending 19 years with the Sharks.
"There's nothing (to say). It's next man up," Sharks coach Pete DeBoer told reporters when asked about his message to his team without Thornton. "It's business as usual. It's a fact of life in the NHL. We've been here before (losing key players to injury).
"Those are the facts and I think our group, it's just got to be next guy up and let's figure out a way to fill the void and get the job done."
Against the Rangers, San Jose was playing its eighth game in 13 days, and despite having an eye on the All-Star break, the Sharks didn't miss a beat offensively scoring five goals in their first game without Thornton.
"It was a pretty sloppy game defensively there were a lot of chances on both sides," San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told NBC Sports California after the Rangers' loss. "They got more goals than us. We could have had 10, they could have had 10."
Vlasic is having a solid season with eight goals among his 20 points. His plus-6 is third best on the team and his 22:37 of ice time per game is second only to Burns who logs 25:20 per contest.
Burns, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, leads the Sharks in scoring with seven goals, 34 assists, for 41 points in 48 games. He's also minus-21 and his 202 shots this season leads the Sharks and is tops among NHL defensemen.
Veteran defenseman Justin Braun leads the Sharks with a plus-8 rating and his ice time average of 21:11 is third most on team. In 48 games, Braun has a goal and 18 assists.
Brenden Dillion and rookie Joakim Ryan (seventh round, 198th overall, 2012 NHL Draft) round out the Sharks defensive corps. Dillion has a goal, nine assists, minus-4 and averages 17:56 per game. Ryan has yet to score his first NHL goal, but he has six assists, is plus-5 and his ice time clocks in at 16:18.
Without Thornton, who was third on the Sharks in scoring with 13 goals and 23 assists, the offensive charge must be led by forwards Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and captain Joe Pavelski.
Couture did his part against the Rangers, scoring twice on two shots. His second goal was his 20th of the season. It marks the fourth time in the last five seasons Couture has notched at least 20 goals.
"We need four lines and six D, we need both goaltenders to play well," Couture told reporters when asked if he needed to up his game without Thornton. "This is a tough league to win. It's tough to win when you're missing some of your best players. So, other guys better produce with (Thornton) out."
For the season, Couture is second in scoring with 20 goals and 16 assists. He is an even player and his 18:16 of ice time ranks third among San Jose's forwards.
Pavelski leads all Sharks forwards in ice time at 18:56 per game. It has been an uneven year for San Jose's captain.
A seventh-round pick (205th overall) in the 2003 draft, Pavelski is certainly a diamond in the rough. He has 305 goals, 360 assists in 853 career games. Yet, this season, he has only 10 goals among his 34 points and is minus-10.
Hertl has logged 18:06 of ice time and has produced 14 goals, 15 assists, minus-3 in 48 games. He is tied with Couture in game-winning goals with three apiece.
A trio of forwards, Kevin Labanc (five goals, 21 assists, minus-3), Chris Tierney (12 goals, 11 assists, plus-5) and Joonas Donskoi (10 goals, 10 assists, plus-2) have had respectable seasons, but more will be expected of them during this playoff run.
Starting goaltender Martin Jones has missed San Jose's last four games with a lower-body injury. Jones has had a rather pedestrian season, going 14-11-4, with a goals-against average of 2.68, a .910 save percentage, with three shutouts.
Backup goalie Aaron Dell has been excellent. He's 12-4-3, with a goals-against average of 2.51, a .917 save percentage, with two shutouts.
Until he was lit up by the Rangers for six goals, Dell was 10-0-3 in his last 14 games.
San Jose begins its post All-Star break with a five-game road trip, which begins Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. It is unclear whether Jones will be available for the Penguins game or against the Red Wings on Wednesday.
Since the Jones injury, Troy Grosenick has been Dell's backup. Grosenick has not made an appearance in net.
Depending on the outcome Tuesday in Pittsburgh, the Sharks could be riding a three-game losing streak into Wednesday's game at Little Caesars Arena.
But despite their recent slide and Thornton's injury, DeBoer is happy with the Sharks' season.
"I am pleased, but that doesn't get you anything," DeBoer said. "We got a long way to go and a tough stretch. You give yourself a pat on the back for being in the mix at the All-Star break, but the heavy lifting is still ahead."