Digest: Ravens to honor Community Quarterback Award winners, runners-up

The Ravens will honor two winners of the their 2016 Community Quarterback Award and three runners-up before Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The winners are Gina Truesdale, an Odenton resident who started the Hammy's Heart Program under the Casey Cares Foundation as a way to keep the memory of her son, Abraham, known as "Hammy," alive, and Jeremy Lichtenstein, who was born and raised in Garrett Park, and founded Kids In Need Distributors (KIND) in January 2012 to address childhood hunger in his community. Hammy's Heart provides gift cards to grocery stores for families of critically ill children who are especially challenged by high medical care costs. In just under two years, the organization has provided gift cards to more than 300 families and this year expects to raise close to $12,000. The runners-up are Stacey Samuels Cole of Ellicott City (Potomac Valley Section of the National Council of Negro Women); Lily Densmore, 13, of Baltimore (Blue Ribbon Project); and Vietnam veteran Russell Stewart of Annapolis (Hospice of the Chesapeake). Funded by the NFL Foundation and the Ravens Foundation Inc., the award honors individuals who exhibit leadership, dedication and commitment to bettering their local communities. Winners will receive tickets for himself/herself and a guest, a personalized Ravens jersey and a $3,500 grant to help aid their respective nonprofit organization. Runners-up will receive a $1,000 grant for their respective nonprofit.

Capitals: Washington goalie Philipp Grubauer insisted his focus Friday night was like any other, even with his parents watching for the first time. Whatever he did worked. Grubauer made 32 saves in relief of normal starter Braden Holtby, helping the Capitals scrap their way to a 3-1 victory over the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. "When the puck drops, it's all business," said the German-born Grubauer, who also turned 25 on the day his parents first watched their son in an NHL arena. "But it's pretty special for me. It's one of my favorite moments." Marcus Johansson scored his eighth goal of the season, and Daniel Winnik and Brett Connolly also added goals as Washington closed its five-game homestand with its fourth victory. Connolly's goal on a late third-period power play added some needed insurance. With Holtby resting for tonight's game at Toronto, Grubauer made 26 saves after the first intermission, and seven seven came against a Buffalo power play that entered Friday ranked ninth in efficiency. "He played really well, [and' we played well in front of him," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said of Grubauer, who has won three of his five starts. "When things got a little hairy on the penalty kill, he came up with a couple of big stops." Sam Reinhart's third-period goal helped Buffalo's NHL-worst offense avoid being shut out for the third this time this season. The Sabres are averaging 1.81 goals. Anders Nilsson made 29 stops for the Sabres, as coach Dan Bylsma also gave No. 1 netminder Robin Lehner the night off.

More Capitals: A week removed from suffering an upper-body injury when he hit the Red Wings' Riley Sheahan, Washington forward T.J. Oshie was on the ice for the team's morning skate Friday. But despite what appears to be an encouraging step, Oshie said he still doesn't have a timetable for his return to the lineup. The team has said he's week-to-week. "We're just trying to get better each day," Oshie said. "This is a little new for me, so just going day by day and seeing how we do." Said Trotz: "We let him come out for practice. He's still week-to-week. But he's making progress. He can get in shape. His legs are fine." Friday night's win against the Buffalo Sabres was the third straight game Oshie has missed. Oshie had eight goals and four assists in the first 17 games. He also played on the top power play and penalty kill unit, averaging 18:06 before getting hurt. ... The Capitals recalled forward Paul Carey from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.

—Isabelle Khurshudyan, The Washington Post