Even before the Red Wings and Sharks take the HP Pavilion ice tonight to open Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Detroit appears headed for the penalty box.

Seems the Wings’ charter flight to town after they polished off the Phoenix Coyotes broke the notorious 11:30 p.m. curfew at Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport.

Call it home-airport advantage.

At stake: a potential $2,500 fine, unless the team can talk its way out of a late-night curfew, the same rule Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has grumbled about for years. To soothe nearby neighbors, the airport prohibits airliners from taking off or landing from 11:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., unless the late arrival is due to bad weather, mechanical problems or air traffic control — all conditions outside the pilot’s control, said airport spokesman David Vossbrink.

But the Wings’ DC-9 jet landed in San Jose at 12:19 a.m. Wednesday, an apparent violation.

Eagles are partly to blame. With the rock band booking the HP Pavilion like the Hotel California on Friday and Saturday, the Wings didn’t know when — or if — they’d be playing in San Jose, until they won a decisive Game 7 Tuesday night in Phoenix just past 8:30 p.m. Celebration, showers and a trip to the Phoenix airport later, they were suddenly headed to San Jose for today’s 6 p.m. faceoff.

Now, their welcome mat includes a “curfew intrusion report” to answer.

“Our practice is to send a notice to the operator that gives them 10 days to respond with information that we need to make a determination whether there’s been a violation,” said David Vossbrink, spokesman for the airport. “We sent that letter today.”

Although the Sharks have violated curfew 18 times dating to September, the team’s charter plane previously was leased to Fry’s Electronics to transport the San Jose SaberCats football team and comes with a legal pass that allows 15 late landings each year.

Reached Wednesday, John Hahn, spokesman for the Red Wings, said his team’s curfew violation was news to him.

“I’m just hearing this from you,” he told the Mercury News.

Well, Hahn, the letter’s in the mail — and the Sharks will see you on the ice.

Contact Linda Goldston at 408-920-5862.