Game Day: Capitals vs. Preds Preview

After falling to Winnipeg on Saturday, the Nashville Predators are looking to bounce back tonight against former Head Coach Peter Laviolette and the Washington Capitals. This evening's contest is the second and final meeting between Preds and Caps this season; the Predators dropped a 5-3 decision to the Capitals on Dec. 29 in D.C.
On Saturday night, the Predators got out to a 2-0 advantage against the Jets, but penalty trouble ultimately ended up costing them. Therefore, Nashville will look to build on the positives - particularly their 5-on-5 game and their ability to play to their identity with consistency - tonight against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

"Our focus is on solutions, and your leaders have to drive your identity and they want to drive our culture in that identity," Predators Head Coach John Hynes said Monday afternoon. "Our message is we are building our game and playing the right way. So, when we do win, it's not a one-off, it's one where you can come in and win two, three, four in a row. We feel like we're building towards that, and our game is in pretty good shape."
"The 5-on-5 game has been pretty solid," Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm said Monday. "It's just penalties that we need to cut down on. We know [Washington's] power play is deadly, too. So, that's what we're focusing on right now, just kind of building our game. At the same time, it's been pretty good 5-on-5, we just haven't had enough of it."
The Predators practiced on Monday and recalled forward Cole Smith from Milwaukee (AHL). Forward Nick Cousins, who left Saturday's game early, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

The Good Guys:

Forwards Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene both tallied on Saturday against the Jets. As of games played through Feb. 13, the Predators have seven skaters who have scored at least 10 goals, tied for the second-most among NHL teams.
Preds Captain Roman Josi (13g-34a) continues to lead the team in points with 47, closely trailed by Duchene (23g-20a) with 43 points and Filip Forsberg (24g-16a) with 40 points. Granlund has 39 points (7g-32a), Ryan Johansen has 13 goals and 35 points and rookie Tanner Jeannot has 28 points (14g-14a). Goaltender Juuse Saros is 24-13-3 in net.

The Opposition:

Washington has lost three of their last four outings, including a 4-1 defeat against Ottawa on Sunday. Alex Ovechkin leads his club with 60 points (29g-31a) and continues his chase for the NHL's all-time goal-scoring lead. Evgeny Kuznetsov trails Ovechkin with 48 points of his own (15g-33a) and John Carlson has 37 points (9g-28a) for the Caps. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek is 10-6-5 in net; Ilya Samsonov is 15-7-3.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 17-10-(1)-4 all-time against the Capitals, including a 10-3-(1)-2 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville is 4-1-0 in their last five games vs. the Capitals; they are 8-2-0 in their last 10; and 4-1-0 in their last five at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus Washington:

Filip Forsberg has 16 points (8g-8a) in 12 career games against the team that drafted him 11th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft. Forsberg was acquired from Washington for Martin Erat and Michael Latta on April 3, 2013.
Ryan Johansen has tallied more than a point per game against the Capitals in his career, registering 25 points (9g-16a) in 23 career contests. He also recorded five consecutive multi-point outings vs. Washington from April 5, 2018-Jan. 29, 2020.
Roman Josi recorded a seven-game point streak (4g-5a) against Washington from Feb. 9, 2016-Dec. 31, 2018. He has 13 points (5g-8a) in 15 career games vs. the Caps.
This will be Nashville's first time facing Peter Laviolette in his current role as Washington head coach at Bridgestone Arena. Laviolette spent parts of six seasons as head coach of the Predators from 2014-20, going 248-143-60 in 451 games. Capitals Assistant Coach Kevin McCarthy also served in the same position with the Predators on Laviolette's staff.
Capitals defenseman Matt Irwin spent parts of four seasons with the Predators from 2016-20, tallying 31 points (6g-25a) in 195 games.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 6 p.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
.