Howard, Red Wings shut out Senators

Jimmy Howard made 31 saves, and the Detroit Red Wings won their third straight game, 2-0 against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.

It was Howard's first shutout since Oct. 22, 2016 against the San Jose Sharks.
"It feels good," he said. "It was unreal that it took me 59 games, but the guys in front of me] did a really good job today."
***[WATCH: [All Senators vs. Red Wings highlights]*
Detroit (30-38-11) had one win in 14 games prior to the winning streak (1-12-1). It is the first time this season the Red Wings won three straight in regulation.
"We've played a lot of games that were similar to these last three games but we didn't get many wins out of them," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill. "Jimmy took a lot of those losses on nights where he played very well, so it was good to see him get rewarded today."

Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou scored for Detroit.
Mike Condon made 25 saves for Ottawa (27-40-11), which lost for the seventh time in eight games.
"I thought we had a very good first period, but then we made two big mistakes that gave them two goals," Senators coach Guy Boucher said. "We deserved more than zero goals, but their goaltender stood on his head and kept us from getting anything."
Larkin took advantage of a Senators line change to finish a 2-on-1 with Anthony Mantha and give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 4:10 of the second period.
"You just try to get the guy to make a pass and hope it hits a bad patch of ice and goes over a stick," Condon said. "I almost got there; I think the shot nicked my stick. It's a desperation play where you just lay out and hopefully get something."

Larkin has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his past seven games. He scored nine goals in his first 72 games.
"I wish I was scoring these goals with us driving for the playoffs, but we're still trying to have the best finish we can," Larkin said. "There are a lot of young guys here who are fighting for a spot on the team next year, or more ice time, so we're going to do our job every day."
The Senators were 0-for-3 on the power play in the first two periods.
"It was a hard game to generate anything offensively," Ottawa forward Matt Duchene said. "Our power play has been brutal all year, and that's one of the main reasons we're in this position right now."
Athanasiou was called for delay of game at 1:55 of the third period. Howard saved Erik Karlsson's wrist shot from the left face-off dot.
"I think Jimmy has been our MVP this season, so I'm glad he finally got a shutout," Larkin said.

Athanasiou made it 2-0, getting to a loose puck in the slot at 4:29. The Senators challenged for goaltender interference on Evgeny Svechnikov, but the call on the ice was upheld.
It was the 16th goal for Athanasiou, his second in as many games after a nine-game point drought.
"This league is so tough that you see a lot of players go through slumps like that," he said. "When the puck starts going in, you want to get as many as you can."
Each team had been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention.

Goal of the game

Larkin's goal at 4:10 of the second period.

Save of the game

Howard's save on Magnus Paajarvi at 7:24 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Athanasiou's goal at 4:29 of the third period.

They said it

"Our team hasn't quit by any means, but we've got a lot of young guys who are making the kind of mistakes that they are going to make when they get to this league. You expect that, and they are learning. Hopefully we can get a couple more wins and give our fans a nice finish." -- Senators coach Guy Boucher
"I've always said you need three superstars to win in this league, and I hope we get one in the draft, but when that clock starts, you are trying to win the game whether you are a player or a coach. We talk a lot about the culture of an organization, and we're not far away because of that culture." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill on late-season wins that could hurt their position in the 2018 NHL Draft

What's next

Senators: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS, TSN3, NHL.TV)
Red Wings: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, FS-D, NHL.TV)