BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Goalie Braden Holtby made sure the Washington Capitals' winning ways continued Monday night.

Holtby recorded 31 saves, including a highlight-reel stop with one minute remaining, to lead the Capitals to a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

The Capitals (27-6-2) extended their winning streak to eight games.

"He's our best player and probably the best goalie in the league right now," Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin said. "Like he did today, especially at the end, don't give them any chance and we feel comfortable out there."

Ovechkin and right winger Jay Beagle scored second-period goals for the Capitals, who have won 15 of their past 17 games. Against Buffalo, they won without top defensemen John Carlson and Brooks Orpik, both out due to lower-body injuries. Carlson saw a streak of 412 consecutive games played end, while Orpik has missed the past 21 games.

"I think a lot of it is attitude," said defenseman Karl Alzner, whose responsibilities increased with Carlson out of the lineup. "We are excited to play. We have fun out there, so guys can just jump in and feed off the energy that the rest of the guys are giving. We work good all the way up and down the lineup, and that showed."

Holtby's best save came with one minute remaining, when the goaltender reached to make an acrobatic glove stop on Sabres left winger Evander Kane. Kane appeared to have an open net in front of him, but Holtby showed tremendous agility to slide quickly to his left and grab the puck.

Holtby recorded his second shutout of the season and the 29th of his career.

"He's definitely a main reason why we're sitting at the top right now," Alzner said. "The saves that he had today, it could have been 2-1, 2-2 easily. You need a goaltender to go deep in this league and win, so he's our guy right now."

Ovechkin opened the scoring 19 seconds into the middle period after being left all alone in front of the Buffalo net. Center Nicklas Backstrom found the Washington captain, who buried a quick wrist shot to the glove side for his 18th goal of the season.

Beagle made it 2-0 with 7:05 remaining in the period following a fortunate bounce in the Buffalo end. Defenseman Tom Wilson's long shot ricocheted off the end wall and fell right to Beagle, who was alone in front and had an open net in front of him. It was Beagle's sixth goal of the season.

Goalie Linus Ullmark made 24 saves for the Sabres, who had few clear-cut scoring opportunities until late in the third period.

"We didn't give them a lot," Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma said. "What they got we gave them and they're big plays for us. That is the mark against a good team."

The Sabres (15-17-4) briefly thought they ended Holtby's shutout with 4:10 remaining, but officials quickly waved off an apparent goal.

After Holtby corralled a long-distance shot by Kane, right winger Tyler Ennis crashed the crease and forced the puck into the net after colliding with the goaltender. Officials immediately denied the goal, and incidental contact with Holtby was confirmed moments later following a coach's challenge by the Sabres.

The Sabres were frustrated afterward by their efforts on the power play. Buffalo went 0-for-3 with the man advantage, recording only two shots.

"It's not clicking the way we'd like it," defenseman Cody Franson said. "That goes to a lack of execution for the most part."

The Capitals came close to increasing their lead to 3-0 on two separate occasions late in the second period. Ovechkin had a shot go off the post with 6:08 remaining, and defenseman Matt Niskanen had a second shot go off the post seconds later.

The teams meet again Wednesday in Washington.

NOTES: D John Carlson (lower body) and RW Stanislav Galiev were scratched for the Capitals. Carlson's injury ended a streak of 412 consecutive games played for the Capitals, the second-longest run in franchise history. ... The Sabres scratched LW Marcus Foligno and D Carlo Colaiacovo. ... LW Evander Kane played for Buffalo after reports Sunday that he is being investigated for a possible sex offense. Kane said he did "nothing wrong" in a brief statement earlier Monday. ... This was the first of three meetings between the Sabres and Capitals this season and their 150th all time.