Nashville Predators vs Washington Capitals Match Player Stats On Jan 29, 2020

Yannick Weber scored his first goal of the season to give the visiting Nashville Predators a 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.

The struggling Predators, who got two assists from Filip Forsberg, had to come back from a 4-3 deficit with two unanswered goals in the third period. Nashville had gone 4-7-1 in its previous 12 games.

The Capitals started off a first-period goal-fest when Richard Panik stepped across the blue line and lobbed a lazy knuckler that fooled Predators goalie Juuse Saros at 9:28.

The Predators responded less than a minute later as Jarred Tinordi wired a hard one from the top of the faceoff circle. It was Tinordi's first NHL goal in his eighth appearance of the season and the 61st game of his career.

Mikael Granlund and Rocco Grimaldi then each got a goal to give the Predators what should have been some healthy breathing room at 3-1 with just under four minutes left in the opening period.

The Capitals snuck to within one before the period was over. Alexander Ovechkin, back from sitting out one game on suspension for skipping last weekend's All-Star Game, scooped up a loose puck misplayed by Saros and put it into a vacated net just 24 seconds after Grimaldi's tally.

Oveckin, at career goal No. 693, is now one goal shy of Mark Messier for eighth in the NHL's all-time career goal-scoring list. He broke a tie for ninth with Steve Yzerman (692).

Then things fell apart for the Predators in the second period.

Just six minutes in, Nashville's Nick Bonino went for a breakout pass from behind the Predators' net. He snapped the puck up the middle, but it hit Saros' stick and deflected past the goal line. The own goal was credited to Panik, his second of the game.

About five minutes later with the Capitals on the power play, Nashville's Calle Jarnkrok tried to clear the puck out of the Predators' end and put it right on the stick of Tom Wilson. The Washington winger drilled it past Saros to give the Capitals a 4-3 lead.

The Capitals took their turn with a wonky play early in the third, though. With Washington on the man advantage, Capitals goalie Braden Holtby made a lead pass up the ice, but Ryan Johansen intercepted it and then snapped it past the bewildered goalie for a short-handed goal to tie game 4-4 at 3:00.

Weber's shot from the point with 4:37 to go slipped past Holtby, who couldn't see past a screen set up by Granlund. The goal stood as the game-winner.

The Predators are back on the ice Thursday, heading to New Jersey to face the Devils, while the Capitals visit the Ottawa Senators on Friday.

--Field Level Media