The Caps turned in a strong first frame, taking a 1-0 lead on Brett Connolly's goal while outshooting the Preds by a 9-4 margin. The Capitals had a 17-9 first-period advantage in shot attempts.
Nashville is the league's most prolific offensive team in the middle frame, and the Preds did swing the territorial tide in the second. Washington managed only 11 shot attempts and just five shots on net in the second, and only seven of those Capitals shot attempts came at even strength.
Late in the frame, the Caps were in the Nashville end and were in possession of the puck, but they were mostly circling and cycling, looking to create an optimal opportunity. Marcus Johansson tried to make a low-to-high pass to Dmitry Orlov at the left point, but Nashville's Kevin Fiala picked it off.
Fiala and James Neal worked a give-and-go in neutral ice, and then Neal's shot from the top of the right circle tied the game at 1-1 with just 64 seconds left in the second period. It was definitely a dagger at that point of a tight game, coming so late in a period in which Washington had kept Nashville in check, but also coming on a shift in which the Caps were buzzing the Preds end in search of more offense of their own.
From the start of the game, the Capitals had occasional possession shifts in the Nashville end that didn't produce anything noteworthy in the way of shots, attempts or scoring chances.