Detroit Red Wings game vs. San Jose Sharks: Time, TV, for Patrick Kane's debut

Detroit Red Wings (14-7-3) vs. San Jose Sharks (7-17-2)

When: 7 p.m. Thursday.

Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

TV: Bally Sports Detroit.

Streaming: Fubo (free trial).

Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Red Wings radio affiliates).

∎ BOX SCORE

Eyes on the ice: Here's how to watch the Red Wings this season without Bally Sports Detroit.

RED HOT RED WINGS: Detroit Red Wings try to explain why they're playing so well since Sweden trip

Game notes: It's officially, official. Patrick Kane will make his debut with the Red Wings on Thursday after signing a one-year deal last week. Kane joined the team after undergoing offseason hip surgery, which you can read about in detail by checking out the story below:

FULL SITDOWN WITH KANE'S DOCTOR: Inside Patrick Kane’s hip resurfacing surgery — and why it’s not right procedure for most

Kane will be joining the Wings as they are playing perhaps their best hockey of the season.

When the Red Wings lost both of their games in Sweden to the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, few would've guessed it would eventually serve as the potential turning point for their season. But here we are, the Wings have won six of their last seven games, with the only loss coming in a close contest against the New York Rangers, and it's looking like Sweden may have been the magical fix after all (maybe it was the Toast Skagen, a dish the Wings fell in love with while overseas).

The Wings got off to a roaring start Tuesday night against Buffalo, jumping out to a 4-0 lead, but needed some stellar defense, some blocked shots, and a last-minute empty-net goal from their captain to avoid a pretty brutal collapse. Surely the Wings will want to take the positives out of that showdown, like how they have seemingly ended their biggest issue earlier this season, which was poor starts.

Riding a three-game win streak, the Wings will have a good opportunity to make it four in a row on Thursday against their old Western Conference rivals, the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks are certainly not the predators that they used to be when the Wings seemingly ran into them every year in the West playoffs while Joe Thorton was still kicking it alongside Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau. The two teams don't play very often anymore, with the Wings holding a 9-6-3 record against the Sharks since moving to the Eastern Conference after the 2012-13 season.

This year, the Sharks have the most losses in the NHL, but are technically one point ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks, although they've played two more games. Things have not been easy for San Jose this year. They rank last in both goals scored per game (2.0) and goals allowed per game (3.88). Their minus-52 goal differential is last in the league by leaps and bounds, 23 goals worse than the Blackhawks who are 31st.

In a year where the Red Wings have made it clear they want to compete for a spot in the playoffs and end the drought, they've got to take care of games like this one, and we'll see if Kane's debut can provide a spark.

Parting note: Can we take a moment to shout out Dylan Larkin for his ability and willingness to fight through injuries? It seems like nearly every game Larkin is forced to head back to the locker room after taking a nasty hit or fall, and time and time again, he somehow comes back. Tuesday's game against the Buffalo Sabres was no different. Larkin had to leave the game to get checked out when he was hit from behind early in the third period. For a while, it didn't look like he would re-enter the game, despite being on the bench. But with the game slipping away and the Wings in desperate need of ending a Buffalo comeback, sure enough, there was Larkin. He sealed the deal by scoring an empty netter and ending the Sabres late push. Larkin has been making "captain" type plays like this all year long and has really proven himself as a leader.

Live updates

For updates from and around the rink, check it out on X.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings game vs. San Jose Sharks: Time, TV for Kane's debut