Jan. 11 vs. Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena
Time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: MNMT
Radio: 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Network
Washington Capitals (23-16-6)
Nashville Predators (20-19-4)
The Caps finish up their 2025-26 Mentors’ Trip on Sunday night in Nashville against the Predators. Coming off a convincing 5-1 win over Chicago on Friday night in the opener of the journey, the Caps now take aim on their first set of consecutive victories in over a month, since Dec. 2-3 in Los Angeles and San Jose, respectively, when they won the last two games of a six-game winning streak.
Friday in Chicago, the Caps took a page out of the James Brown book; they got out on the good foot when Anthony Beauvillier converted a sublime Martin Fehervary feed at back door on the weak side.
That early lead was key, but so was killing off a 5-on-3 Chicago power play of 75 seconds in duration just minutes later. That’s where Logan Thompson came up big making five stops, including several from just above the paint.
Washington was able to extend its lead to 3-0 before the end of the first on goals from Connor McMichael and Ethen Frank; both of those markers came just seconds after the Caps won a draw in their own end of the ice.
“They were huge plays,” says Caps coach Spencer Carbery of the McMichael and Frank tallies. “The play that Mikey makes with the speed, and that's [big]; when you're struggling a little bit as a group, you need a few plays. You need someone to make [something happen], and that's what Mikey did in that situation.
“We did a good job on our coverage, we get some help there, puck moves out to [a good place], and then it's an individual effort of Mikey not only separating, but also the finish there, which is brilliant to finish in that spot. Frankie, same thing, drives the net, stays on top of the crease, finds a rebound.”
Those goals loomed larger when Oliver Moore got the Hawks on the board with three seconds remaining on a Chicago power play, tightening the game. A few nights earlier in Washington, the Caps saw what appeared to be a commanding 5-1 lead over Anaheim dissolve into a much more tenuous 5-4 lead late in the third.
Just under four minutes after Moore’s marker, Justin Sourdif’s goal restored the Caps’ three-goal cushion, and they cruised the rest of the way, with Alex Ovechkin notching another netminding victim in Chicago’s Drew Commesso. The captain’s goal late in the third was his 19th of the season and his 916th in the NHL.
Friday’s win pushed Washington’s all-time Mentors’ Trip record to 21-9-0 (.700 points percentage).
“It all started [Thursday], just having that reception and a little dinner, you could just tell the vibes were up,” says McMichael. “Everyone was having fun, enjoying their time, and I think we carried that in today. And yeah, a lot of credit goes to the dads and the mentors.”
Josh Dowd’s epic pregame lineup read – complete with Caps branded trapper hat and Josh shotgunning a beer after reading the lineup – certainly seemed to amp up Washington’s six starters in particular, his brother Nic Dowd’s line – with linemates Beauvillier and Frank – and blueliners Martin Fehervary and John Carlson – who celebrates his 36th birthday on Saturday in Nashville – as well as Thompson.
Beauvillier and Frank each scored, and Dowd had an assist. Fehervary and Carlson each had two helpers, and they were the game’s second and third stars, respectively.
All five starting skaters were on the scoresheet in Friday night’s game, and Thompson turned in a typically stellar performance, this time with bountiful offensive support. Thompson has allowed a combined total of two goals against at 5-on-5 in his last three starts (1-1-1).
“That was pretty cool,” says McMichael of the pregame lineup read. “I wasn't expecting him to pull out a Bud Light there, but that was pretty good, and it definitely fired us up.
“I think I heard Carbs say this the other day, that it's happening at the right time this year, right when we needed it. And that's exactly what happens. It's lifting all of our spirits, and we kind of just forget about the game a little bit, enjoy family time and enjoy time with the guys. And like I said, I think it carried into today. Everyone was just having fun, enjoying it, and we're really happy to get the two points.”
After a slow start to the season, the Preds have heated up recently. After spending much of the first half of the season at or near the basement of the Western Conference standings, the Preds have pulled themselves up to 11th in the West going into Saturday’s slate of NHL activity, and they’re just three points south of the playoff cutline.
Since suffering an ugly 8-3 loss to Florida on home ice on Nov. 24, Nashville has not lost consecutive games. The Preds have rolled to an impressive 14-7-0 record, the seventh best record in the League over that span.
Nashville is in action Saturday night against the illness-ridden Blackhawks, who raced the Caps to the airport after Friday’s game. Sunday’s game against Washington is the third game of a four-game homestand for the Preds, and it’s also Nashville’s third home game in four nights, following a 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders here on Thursday and Saturday’s tilt with Central Division rival Chicago.
