Wings on hot streak

Red Wings roster

"We're playing a lot smarter than we did around Christmas," Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. "We're moving the puck out of our own end a lot quicker and making better plays."

It was also the fifth straight victory for Osgood as he improved to 9-3 lifetime against San Jose. The victory came against Mike Vernon, who is Osgood's former teammate and best friend off the ice.

"We really don't talk about it when we play each other. It's not a serious battle," Osgood said. "It's definitely fun playing against him. I get bragging rights in the summer."

Shanahan's goal 31 seconds into the second period put Detroit ahead to stay and was his fourth in 10 games following a 15-game drought.

"It was just a matter of time before things started clicking," Shanahan said. "We knew we would get through our struggles. You're bound to have your lulls. We focused on our goals-against and that's what we're improving."

San Jose was trying to clinch a winning record on it 10-game, 17-day road trip, the longest in NHL history. The Sharks fell 4-3-1 on the trip with games at Buffalo and Washington remaining.

"I thought we got better as the game wore on," Sharks coach Darryl Sutter said. "Shanahan's goal was a big goal. They're not an easy team to come back against."