Pierre-Luc Dubois missed three months due to surgery on his abdominal and adductor muscles, but on Thursday morning, the Washington Capitals announced that the centerman would make his grand return against the Nashville Predators. Dubois, while speaking to media, predicted it would be a “fun night” — and he was mostly right.

Dubois primarily assisted on Tom Wilson‘s 23rd goal of the season, 4:15 into the game, to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. Eight minutes and 33 seconds later, Dubois lit the lamp himself, rifling a shot on the power play past Predators goaltender Justus Annunen. The points were Dubois’s first and second of the season after going pointless in his first six games of the year.

“You’re looking early in the game, ‘Does he look the same? Are his reads good? Is he moving well? How are his puck touches?’” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “And I thought he was excellent right from the start. So, that was encouraging right away, to feel comfortable being able to just deploy Dubie like you would any other game.”

By night’s end, Dubois had received the fifth most ice time among Capitals forwards, receiving 17:35 of TOI from Carbery in their 4-2 win. He had his first multi-point game since March 15, 2025, when he dished out two assists against the San Jose Sharks.

While Dubois appeared to be himself, he admitted that inside, he did not feel that way.

“Yeah, there were a few times I thought I might throw up,” Dubois said. “All in all, it was pretty good. I’ve said this a lot, the training staff, the strength coaches, everybody just did such a fantastic job at helping me, putting me into positions to succeed since the start of this process. I’m beyond grateful for all of them. Game shape is not easy to get, but they did a really good job at putting me in the best position possible.”

Dubois and the rest of the Capitals — minus Tom Wilson, Logan Thompson, and Martin Fehervary — will have the next two weeks off for the Olympic break. Dubois hopes he’ll be able to further catch up to the rest of the league as they vacation and rest.

Dubois transcript

How did it feel to have a goal and an assist in your return?

Dubois: “Felt good. Felt very rusty. I got a lot better to give, but just to be back out there with those guys who have been sacrificing so much the last 59 games, them helping me, talking me through it, hearing them on the bench, telling me when I’ve got time and space, all those little things. We’ve got a special group here, and I really felt it again tonight.”

How did it feel to turn the red light on?

Dubois: “I hadn’t felt that in a long time, so it felt really good. It was a lot of emotions watching from upstairs. When a guy scores, you’re excited, but really being on the bench with everybody, with the highs and also the lows, hearing the leadership group in here, hearing guys when it’s time to push everybody in one direction or to calm everybody down. That’s what was really fun tonight.”

How much does it help going to the break knowing you’ve gotten into a game?

Dubois: “I’m probably going to be sore a little bit tomorrow, but it’s going to feel good. We were circling this game on the calendar. It was an ambitious goal that at times we didn’t know if we were going to be able to do it, but like I said, the staff just did such a fantastic job in helping me, putting me in positions to succeed. I owe it all to them. To just be back here with the guys was really fun.”

What did it feel like being back with Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson?

Dubois: “At times, it felt like they were carrying me out there. I was kinda behind on them, not just skating-wise but also thinking. They’re two fantastic players, so for me to be out there with them and have them help me, it helped a lot. Like I said, I’ve got a lot better for them and for this team.”

Questions are edited for brevity and clarity.