GAME DAY: Capitals vs. Preds, January 11

After a six-game excursion to end 2024 and begin 2025, the Nashville Predators are back on home ice tonight as they host the Washington Capitals at Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the second and final meeting between the Preds and Caps this season as Nashville begins a five-game homestand.

The Predators started the 2025 calendar with victories in Vancouver and Calgary before falling to Winnipeg by a 5-2 final on Tuesday night to conclude the trip. Now, as the Preds return home, they’ll look to continue their overall strong play as of late with a great test against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

“We’ve got to get onto a roll…and that roll has to start next game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously it would have been a great win in Winnipeg, where I thought we played well enough to win. We didn't get it because I think that it just takes a game or two to kind of get on [a roll], as I've seen in the past. So, just put our best forward. It's good to get back home. We've been gone for quite a while, so get back, and we had a good little streak at home [leading into Christmas]. Hopefully we can continue it here this week.”

The Predators will begin their homestand as injuries continue to be prevalent. Forward Luke Evangelista, who left Tuesday’s game and did not return, will be out approximately four weeks with a lower-body injury. Defensemen Jeremy Lauzon (lower body) and Adam Wilsby (upper body) both remain on Injured Reserve and are week-to-week. Forward Cole Smith remains on Injured Reserve as well with his lower-body injury as well.

Update: The Preds have recalled forward Kieffer Bellows from Milwaukee (AHL).

Last Time Out:

Filip Forsberg broke an 18-game goalless drought, and Roman Josi also tallied in Nashville’s 5-2 loss to the Jets. Forsberg’s goal came on the power play, and goaltender Juuse Saros took the loss in net.

The Good Guys:

Forsberg continues to lead the Preds in scoring with 34 points (10g-24a), followed by Marchessault with 14 goals and 30 points, and then Josi with 19 helpers and 27 points. Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly have identical statlines with 12 goals and 25 points apiece. Saros is 9-17-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 9-6-0 overall.

The Opposition:

The Capitals fell to the Montreal Canadiens last night by a 3-2 final in overtime. Dylan Strome leads Washington with 45 points (12g-33a) on the season, followed by Aliaksei Protas with 18 goals and 36 points. Tom Wilson has 18 goals and 32 points, while Alex Ovechkin continues his pursuit to catch Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history; he’s got 19 tallies on the season.

All-Time Meetings:

Nashville is 20-13-(1)-4 all-time against Washington, including an 11-5-(1)-2 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Capitals; they are 6-4-0 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five games at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus Washington:

Steven Stamkos has tallied 19 goals against the Capitals in his career, tied for the fifth-most of any active skater in the league. The game will feature two of the top three active goal scorers in the NHL in Stamkos (567) and Alex Ovechkin (872).

Filip Forsberg has 17 points (8g-9a) in 18 career games against the team that selected him 11th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. Forsberg was acquired from Washington for Martin Erat and Michael Latta on April 3, 2013.

Roman Josi recorded a seven-game point streak (4g-5a) against Washington from Feb. 9, 2016-Dec. 31, 2018. He has 16 points (6g-10a) in 21 career games vs. the Capitals.

In nine career starts against the Capitals, Juuse Saros is 5-4-0 with a .912 save percentage and a 2.70 goals-against average.

General Manager Barry Trotz won the 2018 Stanley Cup as head coach of the Capitals. He spent four seasons with Washington from 2014-18, going 205-89-34 in 328 games as head coach.

Milestone Watch:

The Predators franchise is one win from 1,000.

Filip Forsberg (79) is two power-play goals from passing Shea Weber (80) for the most in Predators history and is three goals from 300 in his NHL career.

Vinnie Hinostroza is two assists from 100 in his NHL career.

Ryan O’Reilly is four points from 800 in his NHL career.

Steven Stamkos is five assists from 600 in his career.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for Saturday night in Smashville begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Chase McCabe beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)