The Detroit Red Wings ended a six-game losing streak by shutting out the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 behind netminder Chris Osgood's 18 saves.

Henrik Zetterberg scored a pair of second-period goal to spark the Red Wings to their first victory since February 5.

Zetterberg, who had not scored in five consecutive games, gave Detroit a 3-0 lead with a powerplay score 7:42 into the second period. He connected again two minutes later, scoring his 35th goal of the season.

"We played good. We dominated today," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said.

Chris Chelios and Valtteri Filppula were also on the scoresheet for the Red Wings, who maintained their NHL lead despite their worst slump in 17 years.

Osgood had a relatively easy time in goal after surviving a busy first period. He stopped 11 shots in the opening 20 minutes but faced only two shots in the second period and five in the third.

"They had a lot of opportunities but didn't shoot it for one reason or another," Osgood said after his fourth shutout of the season and 47th of his career.

"We did a real good job of knocking down passes, clogged up the middle. We weren't really doing that late, we were better at it in Dallas (1-0 loss on Sunday) and we were really good at it tonight."

Pavel Datsyuk assisted on Chelios's goal and both of Zetterberg's scores. The three assists boosted his total to 51 for the season.

Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit's third-leading points maker behind Zetterberg and Datsyuk, left the game in the first period with what the Red Wings said was a sprained right knee.

"It doesn't look too serious," team spokesman John Hahn said . "But he is being kept out as a precaution."

Lidstrom, who was knocked into the boards by Colorado's Ian Laperriere, will undergo additional tests in Detroit on Tuesday.

The loss was the fourth in a row for Colorado despite 36 saves by netminder Jose Theodore.

The New Jersey Devils crushed the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 to gain a share of the Eastern Conference lead with Ottawa and Montreal. Travis Zajac sparked the win with a goal and an assist.

The New York Islanders scored three unanswered goals in the third period in their 3-2 defeat of the San Jose Sharks, which was their fourth win in a row.

The goals came after Sharks netminder Evgeni Nabokov needed stitches in the second period after the puck broke a piece of his mask, cutting his face. He returned in the third period but gave up three goals on 12 shots.

Reuters