Dubois was playing in his first game since Oct. 31. He had missed the previous 47 games because of surgery he had to address injuries to his abdominal and adductor muscles.
Jakob Chychrun had two goals and an assist, and Dylan Strome had two assists for the Capitals (29-23-7), who won four of their final five games before the break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Logan Thompson made 27 saves in his return after missing four games because of an upper-body injury.
Jonathan Marchessault and Michael McCarron scored for the Predators (26-24-7), who were coming off a 6-5 overtime loss at home to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. Adam Wilsby had two assists, and Justus Annunen made 26 saves
Tom Wilson gave Washington a 1-0 lead at 4:15 of the first period. Chychrun's centering pass for Dubois from below the goal line deflected above the circles, where Wilson glove it down and scored glove side through a screen.
Dubois made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 12:48. Strome lost the puck while trying to make a move through two defenders, but Dubois skated into it at the top of the left circle and roofed a shot over Annunen's right shoulder.
Thompson made a stellar save to preserve the two-goal lead at 5:45 of the second period, getting his glove on Marchessault’s snap shot on a 2-on-0 rush.
Chychrun then pushed the lead to 3-0 at 8:42. After making a spin move to elude Nashville forward Tyson Jost at center ice, Chychrun skated into the zone, cut toward the middle, and beat Annunen with a long-range wrist shot.
The Predators cut the deficit to 3-1 at 17:40 when Erik Haula's redirection of Wilsby's point shot deflected in off Marchessault’s left skate.
Nic Dowd appeared to score for the Capitals 54 seconds into the third period, but the Predators challenged the play for offside, and the call was reversed after a review.
McCarron scored 23 seconds after that to pull the Predators to within 3-2 at 1:17. He swatted his own rebound through Thompson's five-hole from the edge of the crease.
Chychrun extended it to 4-2 at 13:11. He skated unchecked into the high slot and scored a power-play goal over Annunen's glove.
It was Chychrun's 21st goal of the season, an NHL career high.
Capitals defenseman John Carlson left late in the first period because of a lower-body injury.
