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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The San Jose Sharks are struggling to earn a Western Conference playoff spot. On Wednesday night, they got a taste of what it will be like if they advance to the postseason.
San Jose's Owen Nolan scored his 40th goal and Detroit's Brendan Shanahan had his 35th as the Sharks and Red Wings skated to a 1-1 tie in a game that seemed more like a Stanley Cup playoff game than a regular-season contest.
|  | | Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom works his way around San Jose's Ron Sutter. |
Much of the game, which featured tenacious checking and excellent play by both goalies, was played at center ice. Neither team scored after the first period.
"There's a lot of urgency now. Teams are really struggling to make the playoffs," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said.
San Jose's Jeff Friesen said the Sharks have to develop a playoff-like intensity now if they want to advance to the postseason.
"We're in a dogfight to get in, and we've got to get in," he said. "We're playing more like a team. That's got to be our style if we're going to get into the playoffs."
Detroit's Ken Wregget stopped 23 shots, including a kick save of Mike Ricci's blast from the top of the faceoff circle with 1:02 remaining in regulation. The Red Wings are undefeated in six games (4-0-2).
Wregget was playing for the first time in eight games. he appeared in just two of Detroit's 21 games before Wednesday night.
"I think the toughest part is just game sharpness," Wregget said. "The more you play, the sharper you get."
Steve Shields made 24 saves for San Jose, including two tough stops on Steve Yzerman in overtime. Yzerman had his 10-game point-scoring streak snapped.
The Sharks once again failed to win their second consecutive game. San Jose, fighting with several other teams for the final four Western Conference playoff spots, has been unable to put together a two-game winning streak since early December.
Shanahan opened the scoring 6:50 in when his shot from five feet inside the blue line went between Shields' legs.
Nolan tied it with 1:28 left in the first period with his league-leading 18th power-play goal. It was his 78th point, tying the team record for points in a season set by Kelly Kisio in 1992-93.
The goalies and defenses then took control. Wregget came out about 10 feet from his goal to belly flop on a bouncing puck as San Jose's Patrick Marleau raced untouched toward the net with 6:18 remaining in the third.
"I knew I could beat him there," Wregget said. "But the ice gave the puck a little bit of a bounce there."
Detroit's Larry Murphy played in his 1,545th NHL game, moving within four games of former Red Wings player Alex Delvecchio for second place on the career list. Gordie Howe, another former Detroit star, played in 1,767 NHL games.
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