The Dallas Stars gained a push of momentum and a possible playoff primer Sunday in a physical 4-2 win over San Jose.

The victory allowed Dallas to finish the regular season on a 3-1-2 run, but it also gave the Stars some idea of the intensity they will probably see against the Anaheim Ducks when the playoffs begin Thursday in California.

"One of the words we used before the game was momentum," coach Dave Tippett said. "When you have a game like this with no meaning in the points, we asked our players to play hard and play honest in their effort, and I think we got that."

And by ramping up the effort and the intensity, the Stars created a game that became very chippy. Each team registered season highs in penalty minutes (95 for San Jose and 65 for the Stars), and the fights carried over to some very physical play on the ice.

But it was the kind of physical play the team will probably see against the Ducks, who led the NHL in times short-handed at 406 and were second in fighting majors at 69.

"It will certainly be a test of character the way they play, their mentality – you know, they like to push people around," Stars goalie Marty Turco said after making 32 saves to finish the season with a 32-21-6 record. "The more we're able to stand up to them and initiate, the better opportunity we'll have."

Steve Ott was at the center of a lot of physicality, but the bad blood went beyond Ott's typically annoying tactics. The Pacific Division rivals seemed genuinely tired of the other in their eighth meeting this season.

Sharks leading scorer Joe Thornton went after Ott in the first period and received 19 penalty minutes. Sharks tough guy Jody Shelley went after Ott in the second period and received 27 minutes and was ejected.

Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas hit Sharks winger Joe Pavelski from behind and received a game misconduct in the first period. Trevor Daley took a 10-minute misconduct in the same fracas.

"It was a wild one, that's for sure," said Stu Barnes, who tallied his 12th goal of the season.

The Stars didn't start strong, falling behind 2-0 at the 5:46 mark of the second period. But they responded with three goals before the second intermission.

That allowed them to finish the regular season at 45-30-7 with 97 points. Their improved play in the stretch left themselves feeling positive.

They will take today off to rest and start preparation for Anaheim on Tuesday.

"I think we feel better about our game obviously than where it was three, four, five weeks ago," Barnes said of a March swoon that killed a lot of the Stars' momentum. "But in the playoffs, you do everything you can to get ready and then you go make sure you play your best hockey when the games start."