DETROIT (AP) The Washington Capitals are in first place because of victories like this.Philipp Grubauer made 39 saves for his third shutout of the season Justin Braun Jersey Kids , and Brett Connolly scored the game’s only goal on a third-period breakaway to lift the Capitals to a 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night. Washington was far from dominant, but the Capitals created the game’s best scoring chance and that was enough.”I know they had a lot of shots, but this was a pretty easy game,” Grubauer said. ”The guys kept the front of the net clear, so I could see everything they were taking.”Washington is last in the NHL in shots per game, but the Capitals have won six of seven and lead Pittsburgh and Columbus by four points atop the Metropolitan Division as the regular season winds down.Washington has turned increasingly to Grubauer of late after Braden Holtby struggled in February and at the beginning of March. Holtby wasn’t available Thursday because of an injury coach Barry Trotz described as a tweak.The Capitals took the lead with 13:19 remaining after Detroit defenseman Xavier Ouellet couldn’t control the puck near Washington’s blue line. Connolly and teammate Jakub Vrana went the other way on a two-man breakaway , and Connolly beat Jimmy Howard with a wrist shot to the glove side.Connolly has 15 goals this season on 64 shots.”You can get too cute on a 2-on-0, and I didn’t want to mess it up,” Connolly said. ”I think Howard was expecting a pass Youth Kevin Labanc Jersey , but I haven’t had many good looks in the last few games, so I was taking this one. I needed it.”Howard was indeed expecting a pass.”The way Vrana opened up for the one-timer, I was expecting at least one pass,” Howard said. ”He caught me by surprise there.”Detroit has lost 11 of 12 and was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. The Red Wings will miss the postseason for a second consecutive season.The Red Wings had a goal called back for goalie interference in the first period – replays showed Tyler Bertuzzi appearing to make contact with Grubauer in front of the net. Detroit squandered a great opportunity in the second when the Red Wings had a two-man advantage for the full 2:00.”Gru was the difference in the game. Detroit had a great game plan and really used their speed to box us up,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. ”We were in a lot of tough spots, but Gru kept making the big saves we needed. We just need to score a few more goals for him.”Andreas Athanasiou had a breakaway in the third, but couldn’t beat Grubauer . Athanasiou had another chance in the final minutes, but his deflected shot went wide as Grubauer tried unsuccessfully to grab it with his glove.NOTES: The Red Wings announced before the game that D Mike Green will have season-ending surgery on his cervical spine. ”This dates back to a year ago, basically. He’s played through it. We knew at some point that this was inevitable http://www.sanjosesharksteamshop.com/authentic-logan-couture-jersey ,” coach Jeff Blashill said. ”I know there was some wondering why Green wasn’t traded. Well, this was why, because teams knew that if again, if he took the wrong hit, he might be out.” … Capitals F Evgeny Kuznetsov missed a third straight game with an upper-body injury. … Washington signed D Tobias Geisser to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in the 2018-19 season, and the Capitals also recalled G Pheonix Copley from the Hershey Bears.UP NEXTCapitals: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.Red Wings: Visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.— GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) The customized title belt the Arizona Coyotes pass around for a top performance in a victory was already in Antti Raanta’s possession after a win two days earlier against Montreal.Raanta did even more to earn the belt Saturday, though he handed it off to defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Raanta made 39 saves for his first shutout of the season and the Coyotes won their fourth straight, scoring on their first shot in a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.Raanta had his ninth career shutout Martin Jones Jersey , helping the Coyotes earn points for the fifth time in six games.Article continues below ...”You never get the shutouts just by yourself, you need a good team in front of you,” Raanta said. ”It shows you how much better we are right now … I went with `Hammer’ because Hammer’s been blocking more shots than I have sometimes saved.”Cam Talbot made 31 saves for Edmonton. The Oilers have lost six in a row.Talbot was pulled with under 90 seconds to play, but Edmonton could not send the game to overtime. The OilersThe Coyotes scored on their first attempt of the game. Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s shot caromed off teammate Christian Dvorak’s body and past Talbot at 3:26 of the first period.”Somehow found its way in,” Dvorak said. ”Sometimes you get lucky if you go to the net.”The Oilers’ best chance came midway through the third. Patrick Maroon’s goal was overturned on a Coyotes’ challenge for goaltender interference. Maroon tipped in Oscar Klefbom’s shot, but replays appeared to show Maroon didn’t allow Raanta full movement with his stick and blocker to be able to stop the puck.”The goalie is way out of his crease and I’m getting pushed into him. So I mean, it can go either way,” Maroon said. ”I feel like it has been going that way all year.”Talbot expressed his displeasure at the ruling and that Arizona’s goal was not called back for the same infraction.”It’s extremely frustrating to have what seems like every one of these calls go against us. I just don’t understand it. … There’s just no consistency and I’m (expletive) sick of it.” he said.Dvorak became the fourth player in Coyotes history to begin his career with consecutive 10-or more-goal seasons. Ekman-Larsson has four points in his last two games and 25 in 31 career games against Edmonton, the most against any opponent.Talbot made several key saves in the period Womens Melker Karlsson Jersey , two on a late Arizona power play, to keep the Coyotes from extending their lead.Raanta stopped Ryan Strome’s shot with 14:33 left in the third period, then turned away Zack Kassian’s long attempt 23 seconds later. He stayed strong in goal even against an extra attacker in the closing seconds.”Lots of blocking shots,” Raanta said of the game’s last few moments. ”Everybody who was on the ice, they were putting their bodies on the line.”The Coyotes held Oilers star Connor McDavid, among the NHL leaders in points with 66, to two shots on goal.”That’s a tough task to shut that guy down. He’s a world-class talent,” Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said.NOTES: Oilers backup goalie Al Montoya was scratched after suffering an upper-body injury in Friday’s practice, and will be evaluated again on Sunday. The team recalled G Laurent Brossoit from Bakersfield of the AHL on an emergency basis and assigned D Keegan Lowe to Bakersfield. … D Adam Larsson returned to the Oilers after missing the past eight games following the death of his father. He served four penalty minutes. … Coyotes F Richard Panik returned to action after missing the past two games as a healthy scratch. C Zac Rinaldo was scratched for Arizona. … Ekman-Larsson has 21 assists on the season Adidas John Moore Jersey , and has recorded 20 or more in six consecutive seasons. … Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels, in town for spring training, attended the game. … The Coyotes are 28-6-5 in their last 39 games against the Oilers.UP NEXTOilers: At Colorado on Sunday night.Coyotes: Host Calgary on Thursday night.