DETROIT -- Two players who had their struggles in 2015-16 were the biggest reason the Detroit Red Wings won on Saturday night.

Jimmy Howard made 30 saves for the 23rd shutout of his career and first of the season and Gustav Nyquist scored twice as Detroit breezed to a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Joe Louis Arena.

Howard was surpassed by Petr Mrazek last season and Nyquist slumped to 17 goals in 2015-16 after combining for 55 the previous two campaigns.

"I feel like it's coming there," Howard said of his game. "The little things we've been working on. Little bit more patience."

Howard was spectactular in a 2-1 road win over the New York Rangers Wednesday night.

Nyquist has three goals in his last two games.

"It's always nice to score goals and it's nice to see the team play the way we did on a back to back," he said. "I thought we came out and skated really hard and seemed to have a lot of energy. That was good to see."

The Red Wings beat the Nashville Predators, 5-3, on Friday.

Forward Andreas Athanasiou also scored for Detroit, which won its fourth straight after losing its first two games of the season.

"Our play. I thought we were on our game pretty good," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "The back-to-back when you don't travel, I don't think is as big a deal but I just thought we did a real good job of getting back above the puck, creating turnovers. I thought we played real fast, I thought we attacked up the ice fast so our speed looked good."

Martin Jones stopped 29 shots for the Sharks, who have lost three of their last four after winning their first two games.

"We just aren't dedicated to defense the way we were last year," said San Jose center Logan Couture of the team that reached the Stanley Cup final last season.

"We're not playing well, and we're lucky to be 3-3-0 at this point. We just have to play better. That's all it is."

Nyquist scored twice in the second period to give Detroit a 2-0 lead.

He opened the scoring 4:14 into the middle period when he beat Jones from the right circle to complete a 2-on-1 rush. Nyquist's second goal of the game and third of the season came with 4:40 left in the session. He put a shot off of Jones and into the net from the inside part of the right circle.

San Jose defenseman Brent Burns hit the goal post on a backhand shot from the left circle as time ran out in the second period.

Red Wings defenseman Mike Green blocked Sharks center Joe Thornton's shot from the bottom of the left circle with an open Detroit net 4:36 into the third period.

"We were late everywhere tonight, and when you are a step behind a team like that, they are going to take advantage," San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said. "We talked about their transition game, and then we gave away the puck and played right into their hands."

Athanasiou made it 3-0 at 6:05 into the third period with a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat Jones high on the long side. It was Athanasiou's first goal of the season. He replaced left winger Justin Abdelkader, who was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury, in the lineup.

Detroit, which outshot San Jose 11-6 in the first period, failed on all seven of its power-play opportunities. The Sharks went 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

NOTE: Saturday night's game was the end of a five-game road trip for San Jose. ... Detroit played Friday night -- a 5-3 win against the Nashville Predators at Joe Louis Arena -- and only a few players participated in an optional morning skate Saturday. ... It was Sharks coach Pete DeBoer's last trip to Joe Louis Arena, where he began his coaching career in the Ontario Hockey League in the early '90s with the Detroit Jr. Red Wings (now the Flint Firebirds). ... Backup G Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings on Saturday after Petr Mrazek played Friday night.