Howard gets 1st shutout, Red Wings beat Senators 2-0
By BOB DUFF, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) - Jimmy Howard stopped 31 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Ottawa Senators 2-0 on Saturday.
Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou scored to help the Red Wings win their third straight game, their longest winning streak since a season-high four-game stretch Dec. 29 to Jan. 5.
It was Howard's 24th career shutout and marked the ninth time Ottawa was blanked this season.
Mike Condon finished with 25 saves for the Senators.
After a scoreless opening period, Detroit got on the board at 4:10 of the second. Anthony Mantha fed a pass across to Larkin on a 2-on-2 break, and Larkin flipped the puck in as Condon lunged desperately across his goal crease. It was Larkin's fifth goal in the last seven games. He scored nine times in the first 72 games.
Athanasiou increased the margin to 2-0 at 4:29 of the third. Using Evgeni Svechnikov as a screen, Athanasiou fired a high shot past Condon.
NOTES: Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson remained one point away from reaching 60 for the sixth time in his career. ... The Senators, who play three of their final four games away from home, fell to 11-22-5 on the road — one win more than Montreal for the fewest in the NHL. Last season, the Senators won 22 games away from home, fifth-best in the league. ... The Red Wings improved to 17-6-2 in their last 25 games against Ottawa. That includes five straight wins by Detroit at home. Ottawa's last road victory in in the series was a 3-1 decision on Oct. 30, 2015. ... Henrik Zetterberg remained one point from breaking a tie with Sergei Fedorov (954) for fifth on the Red Wings' all-time scoring list.
UP NEXT
Senators: Host Winnipeg on Monday night in their final home game of the season.
Red Wings: A t Columbus on Tuesday night.