Helene St. James | Detroit Free Press

Raj Mehta USA TODAY Sports

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Jeff Blashill stopped on his way to talk to reporters to shake Henrik Zetterberg’s hand.

Amid the descent toward the end of the 2017-18 season and a second straight playoffs miss, the Detroit Red Wings captain created a positive memory from Monday’s 5-3 loss to the Sharks at SAP Center when he scored in the third period. It was his 336th career goal, moving Zetterberg past Ted Lindsay for sole possession of fifth in franchise history in goals. Zetterberg also had an assist, giving him 950 career points, four shy from tying Sergei Fedorov for fifth in franchise history

“It’s a big goal, passing Ted,” Zetterberg said. “Ted means a lot to me, so passing him and doing it in this barn, too, where I played my first NHL game is a little special.”

More Red Wings:

Gordie Howe is the clubhouse leader with 786 goals, Steve Yzerman second with 692, Alex Delvecchio has 456, and Fedorov, 400.

“That’s pretty impressive by him,” Gustav Nyquist said. “Those are some big, big, big names up there. He’s been so good for so long. We talk about it all the time but it’s worth talking about because what he’s doing is pretty remarkable out there.”

Zetterberg reached his milestones in his 1069th career game.

View | 7 Photos

Photos: Sharks 5, Red Wings 3

“It’s incredible, especially the way he’s done it,” Blashill said. “There’s guys in the league that get will get points, but there’ll be very few guys that’ll be as good a winner as he’s been over his time here. He’s an excellent, excellent hockey player but he’s done it from the right side of the puck. He’s created offense without giving much up.

“My hat’s off to him. That’s a heck of a milestone.”

Zetterberg's averaging 0.67 points per game, down from last season’s 0.83. He’s on pace to play a third-straight 82-game season, but at 37, he’s gone through a lot of wear and tear, including back surgery in 2014. It seems a safe bet he’ll reach 50 points this season, giving he’s already at 46 — but will he return next season to aim for 1,000 points?

“We’ll see,” Zetterberg said. “Hopefully. Hopefully. With the production lately, though, I don’t know how long it will take.”