DETROIT -- Tomas Tatar likes to say that the shootout is a coin flip, a 50-50 chance.

So how does he explain what's going on with the Detroit Red Wings this season?

"I think we are just catching up for the years before," Tatar said after Detroit's 3-2 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon.

Last season, the Wings were 2-5 in the shootout, 27th overall in the NHL. Over the past four seasons, Detroit went a dismal 13-29 in the skills competition that decides the outcome of tie games.

This season, though, when it comes to the shootout, the Wings are the picture of perfection. Henrik Zetterberg scored the winner in the fifth round as Detroit improved to 7-0 in the shootout.

"It's always fun to get a chance in the shootout so it was nice to see it went in," Zetterberg said.

Zetterberg cut across the front of the net and slid a backhander through the pads of Washington goalie Braden Holtby.

"Zetterberg made a nice move," Holtby said. "I thought I had him set up, but my leg cramped up a little. That happens."

After Zetterberg's goal, Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek made a sliding pad save to foil Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin to clinch the victory for the Red Wings. Mrazek, who made 34 saves, stopped four of the five shots he faced.

"It's always special when a player like that goes against you in the last one and you make the save," Mrazek said.

The Red Wings feel the addition of two proven shootout performers in forwards Thomas Vanek and Frans Nielsen has made the different in the extra format.

"Vanny and Nielsen helped us a lot," Tatar said. "They've been scoring in the shootouts."

Nielsen is 44-for-87 lifetime in the shootout. That's second to Arizona's Radim Vrbata (45) for the all-time lead in career shootout goals. Nielsen's 19 shootout-deciding goals are an NHL record.

Vanek, who also scored Saturday, is 5-for-5 and is the only NHL player this season to take at least five shots and still be 100 percent.

The victory ended a four-game losing streak and a five-game (0-4-1) winless slide for the Wings (23-25-10), who are last overall in the Eastern Conference. Playing for the first time since Feb. 11, the NHL-leading Capitals (39-11-7) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end.

Knowing Washington would be rusty after a week off, the Red Wings sought to get a jump on the Capitals and succeeded.

Detroit's much-maligned power play, last in the NHL at 12.2 percent, opened the scoring at 8:13 of the opening period. Nielsen accepted a cross-crease feed from Zetterberg. Nielsen's initial shot hit the post but he whacked the rebound past Holtby (21 saves).

The Red Wings increased their margin to 2-0 just 3:33 into the second period. Anthony Mantha intercepted a drop pass by Washington's Justin Williams and fed it to Zetterberg. He dished the puck across to Tatar, whose low shot got under Holtby's right pad.

"In the first period, we were trying to catch the train a little bit," Washington coach Barry Trotz said. "Coming off the break, you can try all you want, but you've got to play through it.

"We knew it going to be a little bit of a challenge, and it was. In the second period, we played with a little more pace and execution started to improve. Finally, we broke through."

The Capitals got on the board with 1:24 remaining in the second frame. Lars Eller's forecheck pressure forced a turnover by Vanek. Zach Sanford took Eller's pass and zipped a wrist shot by Mrazek on the stick side.

"I thought we were slow all game, but we kept working and we were able to tie it up and get a point," Eller said.

The Capitals forced overtime with 4:48 left in the third period. Going to the net, Washington forward Daniel Winnik got inside body position on Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith and swatted the rebound of a T.J. Oshie shot out of the air and into the net.

Winnik, who had gone 17 games without a goal, has now scored in consecutive games.

NOTES: Detroit D Mike Green was a late scratch due to illness. ... Detroit F Gus Nyquist sat out the second game of a six-game NHL suspension for high-sticking. ... The Wings have fallen behind by at least one goal in the first five minutes of a game 17 times this season ... Washington is 33-4-4 when scoring first in a game. ... Capitals Fs T.J. Oshie (23.7) and Marcus Johansson (22.9) are 1-2 in the NHL in shooting percentage. ... Washington D Brooks Orpik leads all Eastern Conference players with a plus-32 rating. ... Detroit's only healthy scratch was F Tomas Jurco. ... G Jimmy Howard (knee) and D Jonathan Ericsson (wrist) are on IRL. ... Capitals F Andre Burakovsky is out with a hand injury. ... Capitals healthy scratches were D Taylor Chorney and F Jakub Vrana.