WASHINGTON _The Detroit Red Wings got chance after chance to help themselves on power plays, and didn't make good on any of them.
They blew through four man-advantages and wasted a good performance from Jimmy Howard to absorb a 1-0 loss Friday at Verizon Center to the Washington Capitals. It's the Wings' third straight loss and third time they have been shutout this season.
They failed to sustain pressure, and were forced to pull Howard with 1:40 to play in the third period after falling behind. Henrik Zetterberg was called for tripping with 49.4 seconds to play in regulation. Howard finished with 27 saves.
Jay Beagle scored with 5:11 left in regulation. Howard made the stop on Dmitry Orlov's shot, and could do nothing as Beagle pounced on the rebound and sent the puck upstairs.
Howard had made a quick back-to-back saves on Brooks Orpik and Nicklas Backstrom when Danny DeKeyser gave Tom Wilson a little shove from behind, but as Wilson went into the boards, DeKeyser got a 5-minute major for boarding. Inspired penalty killing that included using defenseman Mike Green thwarted the Capitals, with Howard contributing three saves. The penalty kill segued into a 1:30 power play after Justin Williams was called for hooking Justin Abdelkader in the last 30 seconds of the DeKeyser penalty, but the power play could not build on the momentum generated by the penalty killers.
The Capitals lost T.J. Oshie in the first period after a neutral-zone hit on Riley Sheahan, who made a good play despite the hit, sending Anthony Mantha off on a rush with a good pass.
Tomas Tatar had the Wings' best chance of the period when he took a pass from Henrik Zetterberg and slid to the net, but Braden Holtby denied the attempt.
Williams took another penalty, roughing on Tatar, with 28 seconds left in the first period to give the Wings a second power play, spilling over into the second period.
Neither with the man advantage or at even strength did the Wings generate much to threaten Holtby the first part of the second period. It was Howard who saw work, making saves on Nate Schmidt and Williams as the Caps cycled around Detroit's zone.
A third Detroit power play saw Abdelkader try a tip-in and Zetterberg poke a backhand attempt just outside the paint, plus a Ryan Sproul slap shot, as the Wings finally looked dangerous.
A fourth power play earned after Zach Sanford high-sticked Steve Ott saw Sproul again go to his shot, but he, Green and Zetterberg all shot wide, and Matt Niskanen blocked a shot from Gustav Nyquist.
Howard reached 20 saves in the opening shift of the third period, and continued his good night with a third save on Alex Ovechkin.
