Capitals score in third, shut out Red Wings

WASHINGTON-- Braden Holtby made 25 saves, and Jay Beagle scored with 5:11 left to give the Washington Capitals a 1-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Verizon Center on Friday.
"I thought it was a real gutsy effort," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We got a lot of commitment in a lot of areas. They tried to grind us down. I thought when it was time to be committed, we were fully in. When we needed a big [save] we got that from [Holtby]. When we needed a big goal we got that from [Beagle]. Aesthetically it wasn't maybe as fun a game, but it was a game that showed a lot of good character traits for us."

The shutout was Holtby's first of the season and 24th in the NHL.
Jimmy Howard made 27 saves for the Red Wings (8-9-1), who have won twice in their past 10 games.
"We can't let frustration get in our way," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Frustration does no good at all, so we've got to make sure that our focus remains what our focus has been, and that's get better every day and find a way to results. These games like this when we play real good hockey like we did tonight, like we did against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a 4-3 loss Tuesday], we've got find a way [to get] results."
**WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Capitals highlights**
Beagle took advantage of a rebound from defenseman Dmitry Orlov's shot and put it behind Howard. The goal was Beagle's fourth of the season and first career point in 10 games against the Red Wings.
The Capitals (11-4-2) played most of the game with nine forwards after T.J. Oshie, Lars Eller and Andre Burakovsky were injured in the first period.

Goal of the game

Beagle was denied by Howard but his linemates -- Zach Sanford, Tom Wilson -- regained the puck and were able to get it to Orlov. "[Zach] and [Tom] get there quick and recover the puck, [Wilson] gives me one where I thought my shot went in in the slot there, the first chance that we had," Beagle said. "They recover the puck again, and [Orlov] puts a good shot in the back pad, and I just kind of spun around and saw a wide-open net, so I just tried to get it as I was falling."

Save of the game

Howard stopped Capitals defenseman Nate Schmidt's shot through traffic in the second period and nearly lost control of the rebound but was able to jump and freeze the puck before Washington could take advantage.

Highlight of the game

With 53 seconds remaining in the third period, Holtby sprawled from post to post to deny Gustav Nyquist's scoring chance with his right pad.

Unsung moment of the game

In the final seconds of the third period, the Red Wings pulled Howard for an extra skater, even though the Capitals were on the power play. Washington had to fend off a late flurry to win.

They said it

"He made some huge saves and he made a huge save right after we scored the goal. He made also a huge save on [Tomas] Tatar early toward the end of the first period. You talk about big moments. He stepped up." -- Capitals coach Barry Trotz on goalie Braden Holtby
"When you're scoring you're feeling good about yourself and you're playing with tons of confidence and moxie. And when you're not scoring it works the other way. That's the reality of life. When you're not scoring, you've got to find a way to be ferocious. Get to the net, score dirty goals, score the ugly, greasy goals. We're going to have to be better in those areas, especially the guys that are a little bit snakebit right now." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
"It is kind of strange how that's happened the last couple years like that. We like playing them. They're a fun team to play against. I don't know if it's just the aura of the Detroit Red Wings that we get up for and get excited to play. Their goaltenders have played good against us in the past, too, and did it again tonight. Usually makes for a tight game." -- Capitals goalie Braden Holtby

Need to know

Eller, Burakovsky and Oshie each has an upper-body injury and will be evaluated on Saturday, Trotz said.

What's next

Red Wings: Host the Calgary Flames on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVA Sports, SN, NHL.TV)
Capitals: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET; SN, FS-O, CSN-DC, NHL.TV)