Red Wings 4, Sharks 1

WINGS CORNER

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DETROIT -- After scoring two goals to help the defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings beat San Jose, Henrik Zetterberg insisted the Sharks are still the team to beat.

"They're ahead of us," Zetterberg said. "You can't live in the past."

While the NHL-leading Sharks have a three-point lead over Detroit in the Western Conference, the Red Wings dominated the final regular-season game between the teams, winning 4-1 on Wednesday night. Both teams won twice at home in the four-game season series, seemingly making home-ice advantage even more vital.

"I guess the race from now to the end of the year is important," said San Jose coach Todd McLellan, an assistant last season in Detroit.

If Zetterberg - who had a spectacular short-handed goal and a crafty power-play score - and the Red Wings play like they did against San Jose, it might not matter where they are or what other team is on the ice.

Detroit's Marian Hossa scored the first goal of the game, but the team held him out of the third period for precautionary reasons because of concussion-like symptoms.

"He's fine," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "(Douglas) Murray was coming from the front and pushed him and (Ryane) Clowe was coming the other direction and he didn't see Clowe and got fouled up with his stick."

Ville Leino also scored, and Ty Conklin made 34 saves for the Red Wings, winning his 12th straight home start. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 29 shots, and Christian Ehrhoff scored for the Sharks.

Zetterberg whiffed on an opportunity to give Detroit a two-goal lead in the first period, but he made up for it - twice.

He blocked a shot in the Detroit zone killing a penalty, raced with the puck up the ice, did a 360-degree spin between the circles and snapped a wrist shot past Nabokov.

"I tried to get back," said Ehrhoff, who helplessly tried to defend the play. "It would've been nice if I stopped as quick as him, but I couldn't."

Late in the third period with a two-man advantage, Zetterberg started to wrap around the net for a shot only to stop, pivot and score on the short side of the net.

"I've seen Hank do that a lot," McLellan said. "He holds on to the puck a little longer than most."

At Toronto, Nikolai Kulemin scored the shootout winner, Vesa Toskala turned aside all three New York attempts and Toronto spoiled John Tortorella's Rangers debut.

Kulemin beat Henrik Lundqvist on Toronto's first attempt in the tiebreaker.

Niklas Hagman scored in regulation for Toronto.

Wade Redden countered for the Rangers, playing their first game since Tortorella replaced Tom Renney as coach Monday - a day after Toronto's 3-2 overtime victory over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

At Pittsburgh, Petr Sykora scored with 2:28 remaining, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for his third shutout of the season for the Penguins.

The Penguins played without Sidney Crosby, sidelined by a groin injury.

Sykora scored his 23rd goal to end Yann Danis' five-period shutout streak.

At Philadelphia, Martin Biron made 34 saves for his 25th career shutout, and Jeff Carter scored his 36th goal of the season for the Flyers.

The Flyers have won seven of their last nine games to move within four points of New Jersey for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Simon Gagne added his 23rd goal, an empty-netter with a second left.