Red Wings 7, Blackhawks 3

CHICAGO (AP) - Brendan Shanahan and the Detroit Red Wings are not showing any signs of slowing down heading into the playoffs.

Shanahan scored three goals and added an assist to help the Red Wings set an NHL record with their 11th straight road win, 7-3 over Chicago on Thursday night.

Henrik Zetterberg scored twice and Niklas Lidstrom had a goal and three assists for Detroit, which won its sixth straight overall. The Red Wings have played 18 games without a regulation loss (15-0-3) en route to clinching the President's Trophy for the best regular-season record.

The Red Wings surpassed the previous mark of 10 straight road wins that was shared by Buffalo, St. Louis and New Jersey.

The 37-year-old Shanahan recorded his 17th career hat trick and boosted his season goal total to 39. The left wing is playing in his 18th NHL season.

"Scoring a goal is special," Shanahan said. "Scoring a hat trick is special. I don't think you ever get tired of it. You know, obviously, once you get the second one, you start a kind of run for the puck and the net."

Shanahan added that the Wings are starting to shape up like their team that won the Stanley Cup to cap the 1996-97 season.

"We're a good hockey team," he said. "Since I've been here, there are a lot of things I like about this team the best. In style I would say it's most similar to our team in '97 as far as having some grittier players sprinkled through our lineup."

Tomas Holmstrom also scored for Detroit, which got 28 saves from Manny Legace.

The victory was Detroit's 30th on the road this season, extending the record the Red Wings set on April 8 in Columbus when they won their 29th.

"We talked about being professional down the stretch and playing the teams that aren't going to make the playoffs," Lidstrom said. "They're going to show up and work hard so we have to match that.

"We know we can't just throw a switch once the playoffs start," he added. "We have to play well going into the playoffs."

Radim Vrbata had a goal and assist for Chicago, which dropped its fourth straight. Kyle Calder and Patrick Sharp scored short-handed goals for the Blackhawks.

Chicago starting goalie Nikolai Khabibulin allowed five goals on 17 shots before being relieved by Craig Anderson at 6:55 of the second. Anderson gave up two goals on 23 shots.

"Our defensemen struggled," Blackhawks coach Trent Yawney said. "Four of their goals came off turnovers. Against a team like that, you turn it over into the back of your net."

Shanahan and Zetterberg scored 21 seconds apart early in the first period to give Detroit a 2-0 lead.

Shanahan scored from the slot 3:12 in after Chicago's Mark Cullen lost the puck behind the net and Donald McLean centered it.

Zetterberg made it 2-0 at 3:33. From a sharp angle, he fired in a rebound of Lidstrom's shot from the slot. Zetterberg extended the Red Wings' lead to 3-0 at 7:25. He circled the net, then slid in a shot from the right side that deflected in off Khabibulin's left foot.

Calder's short-handed goal, completing a 2-on-1 with Vrabata, at 10:31 cut it to 3-1.

Vrbata's goal, scored on a 5-on-3 power play 46 seconds into the second, trimmed it to 3-2. His pass from the left corner was intended to Sharp, but deflected in by Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios.

Holmstrom made it 4-2 on a deflection on Lidstrom's drive at 3:22. Lidstrom's ripped in a one-timer from the right circle at 6:55 to extend Detroit's lead to 5-2 and chase Khabibulin.

Shanahan beat Anderson over the shoulder on the short side at 8:59 to make it 6-2.

Sharp's short-handed goal at 5:21 of the third made it 6-3.

Shanahan completed his 17th career hat trick - his first since April 2004 - with a power-play goal at 7:38. He converted a rebound of Lidstrom's shot.

Notes: Chicago C/LW Tuomo Ruutu returned to the lineup on Thursday for his 12th game this season. Ruutu missed the last 37 games due to a severed tendon in his ankle. He was sidelined earlier for 25 games with a sore back. ...Four Red Wings players sat out the games with injuries, C Pavel Datsyuk, C Steve Yzerman, D Mathieu Schneider, and C Jason Williams. Detroit dressed only 16 skaters for the game. ... Chicago C Curtis Brown missed his third game with a concussion. ... Detroit D Jason Woolley left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury. ... After the game, Chicago sent D James Wisniewski to Norfolk of the AHL and recalled D Danny Richmond.