SAN JOSE — Sharks coach Todd McLellan believes players would like to see diving eliminated from the NHL but said it will take more time to determine whether fines and press releases issued by the league would act as a deterrent.

Nashville Predator forward James Neal was fined $2,000 as the first target of the NHL’s campaign to crackdown on diving for a play involving Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow. The play took place at 19:39 of the third period of San Jose’s 2-0 win Saturday night.

“I guess we’re going to find out,” McLellan said when asked if fines and press releases were the most effective way to rid the game of diving. “I do believe the players are more aware of it right now and they don’t want to show up on a list or on TV, or talked about at all. So they’re aware of it.

“Some of it is habit, trying to get it out of the game. Some of it is just being honorable. I think for the most part, the majority of players are aware of it and they don’t want it to affect their game. It’s their game. They really don’t want it to part of their game, so we have to clean it up a little bit.”

Goodrow was given two minutes for slashing on the play and Neal was given two minutes for embellishment. A scrum developed and Goodrow as well as Nashville defenseman Ryan Ellis were given 10-minute misconduct penalties.

Neal, who had been warned for embellishing plays earlier this season, was slashed on the back of the leg, skated another stride then did a tuck and curl motion before falling to the ice.

“I didn’t think I slashed him that hard, but things happen in the game,” Goodrow said Thursday. “It’s good to see the NHL stepping in like that.”

Under the diving rules, players are given a warning if caught diving a first time. From there, it’s $2,000 for the second infraction, $3,000 for a third and $4,000 for a fourth. Any time after that, the fine is $5,000.

Neal is making $5 million this season as he’s in the third year if a six-year, $30 million contract.

“I think it’s good. You obviously know players in the league who dive a lot and embellish a little bit. It’s good to kind of single them out, maybe they’ll be a little embarrassed,” Sharks forward John Scott said. “Obviously, $2,000 is not going to hurt him in the pocket book that much, but it’s good.

“We don’t really need that in the game. You don’t want to turn it into soccer or something like that where it’s embarrassing and you get rewarded for that.”

Staff writer David Pollak contributed to this story,. For more on the Sharks, see the Working the Corners blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/sharks. Follow Curtis Pashelka on Twitter at twitter.com/CurtisPashelka.