January 11, 2026 — The Nashville Predators overcame an early deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 3-2 at Bridgestone Arena, scoring twice in the third period to secure their 21st win of the season. Roman Josi’s power-play goal at 3:29 of the final frame proved to be the game-winner as Nashville improved to 21-20-4 on the season.
The Predators outshot Washington 21-18 in a tightly contested matchup before a crowd of 17,159. Nashville capitalized on three of their seven power-play opportunities while limiting the Capitals to two goals on six chances with the man advantage.
Goaltending Performance
Goalie
Team
Decision
Saves
Shots Against
Save %
TOI
Justus Annunen
NSH
W
28
30
.933
60:00
Charlie Lindgren
WSH
L
18
21
.857
58:09
Justus Annunen delivered a stellar performance for Nashville, stopping 28 of 30 shots to earn his latest victory. The Finnish netminder was particularly sharp during Washington’s power-play opportunities, helping kill off four of six Capitals advantages. Charlie Lindgren faced fewer shots but struggled with efficiency, allowing three goals on 21 attempts.
Game Flow
Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring at 5:56 of the first period on a power play, assisted by John Carlson and Ryan Leonard, notching his 20th goal of the season. Nashville responded just over seven minutes later when Steven Stamkos converted on the power play at 13:15, with Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi earning assists on Stamkos’ 19th tally.
The game remained deadlocked through a scoreless second period before Nashville seized control in the third. Cole Smith gave the Predators their first lead at 1:12, finishing off a play set up by Josi and Reid Schaefer for his fifth goal of the campaign. Just over two minutes later, Josi extended the advantage with a power-play strike assisted by Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly. Washington narrowed the gap when Ethen Frank scored on the power play at 9:03, but Nashville’s defense held firm over the final 11 minutes.
Point Leaders
Player
Team
Goals
Assists
Points
+/-
Shots
TOI
Roman Josi
NSH
1
2
3
+1
2
21:53
Alex Ovechkin
WSH
1
1
2
0
2
19:26
Steven Stamkos
NSH
1
1
2
0
2
19:52
John Carlson
WSH
0
1
1
0
4
26:43
Filip Forsberg
NSH
0
1
1
0
1
18:16
Roman Josi dominated the scoresheet with three points, recording the game-winning goal and two assists while logging nearly 22 minutes of ice time. The Predators captain showcased his two-way excellence with a plus-one rating. Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos each contributed two-point performances, with both veterans finding the back of the net on power-play opportunities.
The victory moves Nashville within striking distance of .500 with 45 games played, while Washington falls to 23-17-6.
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