Alex Ovechkin is nine goals from the only scoring record he does not own. He has 930 in the regular season and 77 in the playoffs, which is 1,007 against Wayne Gretzky’s 1,016. He also has one goal in eleven games this season. Our call, who is fit and what the Canadian books make of it are below.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | Washington Capitals at Nashville Predators |
| Date | Thursday 29 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT |
| Venue | Bridgestone Arena |
| Records | Washington 7-4-0, Nashville 4-3-5 |
Regional listings can differ from the national one, and blackouts apply in parts of Canada. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page sets out the options.
Predators vs Capitals odds
Moneyline prices from 2 Canadian sportsbooks, captured on 2026-10-29. American odds throughout.
| Sportsbook | Washington | Nashville |
|---|---|---|
| PlayNow | −111 | −111 |
| TonyBet | −116 | −110 |
These are stored prices rather than live ones, and a hockey line moves the moment a starting goaltender is confirmed, so check before you bet. Availability varies by province: PlayNow is a provincial platform rather than open-market books, and the private sportsbooks operate where they hold a licence. Our NHL betting sites page sets out which operates where, and who is expected in net is on our projected NHL starting goalies page.
Nashville has lost five times in extra time and only three in regulation
The Predators are 4-3-5 and nineteenth. That is a strange-looking record and the middle number is the point: only three of their twelve games have been lost inside sixty minutes.
Five extra-time defeats is the most in the league. It is five points banked and five more left behind, and it is why a club with a minus-five goal difference is only a point outside a playoff place.
Juuse Saros has carried it at .906 across nine starts and a 3-2-4 record. Nashville has nobody on the injury report, which is true of only three clubs tonight.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Washington Capitals | Nashville Predators |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 43-30-9 | 38-34-10 |
| Points | 95 | 86 |
| Goals for per game | 3.21 | 3.01 |
| Goals against per game | 2.98 | 3.28 |
| Power play | 17.8% | 23.1% |
| Penalty kill | 80.1% | 81.7% |
Nashville finished nine points behind Washington last season and conceded a third of a goal a game more. The special teams ran the other way: a 23.1 per cent power play against 17.8, and the better penalty kill too, which is an odd profile for a club that finished below.
Washington has played their last five at home, and now go on the road
The Capitals are 7-4-0 and seventeenth on fourteen points. They have won two in a row and beaten Philadelphia 5-2, Buffalo 4-3 past regulation, New Jersey 4-2 and Montréal 5-4.
Every one of those was at Capital One Arena. Their last five games have all been at home and this is the first trip in nearly two weeks, which is the obvious caveat on a run that reads well.
Logan Thompson is 5-3-0 at .903 with Charlie Lindgren behind him. Rasmus Sandin is out until late December and Vincent Desharnais until early the same month.
Four of the last five finished on exactly five goals
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Feb 2026 | Washington 4-2 | Washington |
| 11 Jan 2026 | Nashville 3-2 | Nashville |
| 11 Jan 2025 | Washington 4-1 | Nashville |
| 6 Nov 2024 | Washington 3-2 | Washington |
| 30 Dec 2023 | Nashville 3-2 (SO) | Washington |
Nashville leads the all-time series 22 wins to 15 across forty-two meetings. The last five have split three-two to Washington.
Those five produced 6, 5, 5, 5 and 5 goals. Four of them finished on exactly five. That is about as tight a recent series as the league offers, and neither of these clubs is scoring freely enough to argue with it.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | Rasmus Sandin | Out, knee, on injured reserve to late December |
| Washington | Vincent Desharnais | Out, abdomen, on injured reserve to December |
| Washington | Patrick Thomas | Out, upper body, on injured reserve to 14 November |
| Nashville | No players listed | Fully fit |
Who starts in goal is an open question. Washington Capitals has split between Thompson (8 starts, .903) and Lindgren (3, .886), and Nashville Predators has split between Saros (9 starts, .906) and Annunen (2, .846). A save percentage is a season aggregate rather than a lineup, so treat either name as a possibility and not a plan.
Our NHL injury report tracks every other club.
Players to watch
Alex Ovechkin, Washington. Nine goals from Gretzky’s combined record of 1,016, and one goal in eleven games this season.
Juuse Saros, Nashville. A .906 and the reason five of their eight defeats needed extra time.
Logan Thompson, Washington. 5-3-0 at .903, and he has not played a road game in almost two weeks.
Score prediction
Washington Capitals 3-2 Nashville Predators. Four of the last five meetings finished on exactly five goals and neither club is scoring heavily.
Predators vs Capitals prediction
Washington is the side we would take, narrowly. Seven wins to four, two in a row, and Nashville has a minus-five goal difference despite the flattering record.
The case for Nashville is the building and the fitness. They have nobody injured, Saros is the better goaltender on the ice, and Washington has not left home since the middle of the month. Our lean: Washington, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. Four of the last five meetings landed on five goals exactly, and that is a pattern rather than an accident.
Our NHL power rankings has all 32 in order, and the rest of Thursday’s games is on the NHL schedule.
Puck drop is 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT on Thursday 29 October 2026 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Nine goals. Alex Ovechkin has 930 in the regular season and 77 in the playoffs, 1,007 in all, against Wayne Gretzky’s 1,016. He has one goal in eleven games this season. Our Ovechkin goals tracker follows it.
Nobody. Nashville has no players on the injury report, one of only three clubs in action tonight who can say that.
Nashville leads the all-time series 22 wins to 15 from forty-two meetings, though Washington has taken three of the last five.
Washington to win 3-2, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.