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The Red Wngs and Justin Abdelkader, seen here defending Tyler Kennedy earlier this season, have their hands full with San Jose.

(The Associated Press)

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Detroit Red Wings are about to enter what has been a black hole for visiting teams this season: California.

Their next three opponents – San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim – are a combined 47-6-8 at home (.836 winning percentage).

“It’s a big challenge, but at the same time it’s a big opportunity for us to kind of get things going,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said.

Good thing they’ve had four days off to rest and prepare. It’s also good that they’ve flourished on the road, where they are an Eastern Conference-best 13-4-3, including Saturday’s 5-1 victory in Dallas, behind Jimmy Howard’s 44-save performance.

“We had a chance to regroup, but right now it’s time to get playing again,” Kronwall said. “Hopefully we can get on a little bit of a roll. But everything’s going to start against San Jose.”

The Red Wings must face the Sharks Thursday at the SAP Center without Pavel Datsyuk (lower-body injury), coach Mike Babcock said. Center Darren Helm (groin) will be a game-time decision. Defenseman Danny DeKeyser (groin) will play.

San Jose (27-11-6) is 15-1-3 at home, where its only regulation loss came on Nov. 7 (4-2 vs. Vancouver). The Sharks beat the Red Wings 1-0 in a shootout at Joe Louis Arena on Oct. 21, a grind-fest in which the clubs combined for 51 shots and few scoring chances.

“It’s about getting out there and getting your legs moving quickly,” Howard said. “Sometimes when you have a little bit of a layoff that first period can be a little treacherous. Everyone is going to have to really focus in.

“You know it’s always going to be tough (in San Jose) the first 10 minutes. You got to find a way to weather the storm and just try to get our legs under us.”

They need to continue playing like they have on the road.

“I think we keep it simple,” Howard said. “Right now on the road maybe we don’t try to do too much. It’s something we should try at home (where they are 6-10-7).”

Said Kronwall: “I don’t know for what reason, but it’s been working out fine for us so far on the road.”

They haven’t faced a challenge quite like this. The Kings, who they visit on Saturday, are 14-5-3 at home; the Ducks, who they play Sunday, are 18-0-2 at home.

The California clubs share several similarities.

“Size, depth, speed,” Babcock said. “That’s the way it’s evolved. Anaheim went through a tough stretch after they won a Cup (in 2007) and now they’re back.

“San Jose’s rebuilt this team kind of on the fly; they always kept their key guys. (Logan) Couture (who is out after surgery) and (Joe) Pavelski have really come for them. They got a real good team, young back end.”

Said Kronwall: “Just looking back at the past they all play at a pretty high pace. They have some big bodies in their lineup that they really use to their advantage.”

Now that they’re in the East, the Red Wings make just one trip to California.

“We look forward to the challenge,” forward Justin Abdelkader said. “It’s a good measuring stick for us against some of the top teams in the West.”

Said Howard: “We’re going to have to find ways to grind out some wins here.”

Babcock read off the names of his team’s 10 Olympians while the team was stretching for practice on Wednesday. Players tapped their sticks on the ice in acknowledgement.

“We’re excited for them,” Babcock said. “The big thing now is you got to play real well going in (to the Olympics, Feb. 9-25). If you’re careful you get hurt. If you just play hard and do things good you’ll be fine.”