Nashville Predators at Washington Capitals: game preview
NashvillePredators2026-27: 1-1-1 · 3 pts · 2025-26: 38-34-10 · 86 pts · 23rdat
WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12thNine points apart last season
Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 points. Washington finished 12th on 95.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 43
Across 42 completed games, Nashville lead the head-to-head 22-15-5.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Jan 2026, Nashville were 23rd in the league and Washington 12th. By 5 Feb 2026 it was 26th and 19th.
Washington out-attempted Nashville 111 to 105
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Nashville Predators
Washington Capitals
Nashville and Washington are level on chances, last 10 games
Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.
This season: 3 games for Nashville, 2 for Washington. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Nashville, 10 for Washington.
2025-26: 82 games for Nashville, 82 for Washington.
Power play and penalty kill, season and series
This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.
All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings
Nashville
Small sampleWashington
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 20 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 19 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Nashville crease
NSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Feb
No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.
Washington crease
WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Feb
No appearances against Nashville in the last meetings.
Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals
No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.
Goals in the last 5 meetings
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
Washington3.002.503.212.98Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.
4 on the injury lists
Nashville · injuries
Washington · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.
Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.
Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).
Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).
Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.
Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).
Nashville · 2026 draft
See all: Nashville · 2026 draft →Washington · 2026 draft
See all: Washington · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final