NASHVILLE http://www.flyersshoponline.com/authentic-travis-konecny-jersey , Tenn. (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson is feeling healthier with each passing game, and the results are showing in the back of the net.Arvidsson scored a hat trick on National Hat Day, and the Nashville Predators routed the Washington Capitals 7-2 Tuesday night to snap a two-game skid.He could’ve had more, too. Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said Arvidsson hit a post and missed a couple other opportunities in close.“He brings a lot to the table on the ice . defensively, offensively, but it’s not something that’s new,” Laviolette said. “This isn’t all of a sudden, ‘Oh, Viktor Arvidsson is playing with some energy.’ This is who he is. This is the makeup of him, and it’s in his DNA. When you see a game like tonight, you really appreciate it.”Arvidsson scored the opening goal of the game and added two more in the second period for the second hat trick of his career. He has nine goals and two assists in 11 games since returning Dec. 27 from a broken thumb. The Predators have earned points in eight of those games.“Oh, the rink gets into that,” teammate Nick Bonino said. “That’s huge. The fans love chanting Barrett Hayton Jersey Womens , ‘Arvi!’ We all love it, too. It’s fun to see. Just plays so hard, throwing his body on the line every night. You can always get behind guys like that, and he scores so often it’s fun seeing a smile come down the line. He made some big goals tonight.”Bonino scored twice, and Rocco Grimaldi and Calle Jarnkrok each added a goal as 12 players contributed at least one point for the Predators. They set a season high for goals, topping the six they scored Dec. 31 in a win at Washington, the defending Stanley Cup champion.Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen each had two assists, and Juuse Saros made 26 saves for the win.Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie scored for the Capitals.Braden Holtby dressed for Washington but missed his second consecutive game after being poked in the eye during a loss to Columbus on Saturday. Capitals coach Todd Reirden said the team found out just hours before the opening faceoff that Holtby wouldn’t be able to play.That left Pheonix Copley starting his second game in two nights, and the Capitals have lost three straight.Reirden wasn’t happy with some poor puck management and odd-man chances allowed. He did like how his team finished, blocking shots down 7-1.“I’m very proud of the fact that not one single guy quit or stopped playing ’til the end of that game,” Reirden said.Arvidsson scored on a partial breakaway 3:45 in, beating Copley just below his glove. Bonino finished off a cross-ice pass from Colton Sissons for a 2-0 lead midway through the first.Then Arvidsson started a four-goal second, tipping in a shot by P.K. Subban 1:21 into the period. Backstrom pulled Washington to 3-1 at 7:07 Michael Grabner Jersey Womens , and the Capitals appeared to have momentum after hitting a couple of posts and going back on the man advantage when Jarnkrok tripped Oshie.But Arvidsson broke away and slid the puck under Copley’s pads for a 4-1 lead that had fans tossing hats onto the ice at 12:08.That wasn’t all. Grimaldi finished off his goal with a spinning backhander , and Bonino tipped in his second with 5.8 seconds left in the period to make it 6-1.Jarnkrok padded the lead at 7:56 of the third.DEFENSIVE PAIRINGLaviolette hasn’t really paired captain Roman Josi and Subban, the 2013 Norris Trophy winner, together much. They played together against Washington, and Laviolette said they did a good job.“We’ll probably leave it that way,” Laviolette said.NOTES: Laviolette has 599 career wins as a coach. … The Predators have a franchise-record five hat tricks this season, all by different players. Arvidsson joined Filip Forsberg, Sissons, Jarnkrok and Austin Watson. … Ekholm’s assists gave him a career-high 36 points this season. … Nashville improved to 22-2-1 when scoring first. … Oshie skated in his 700th career game.UP NEXTCapitals: Host the New York Islanders on Friday night.Predators: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night. The Vegas Golden Knights are among the NHL teams with the most salary cap space going into free agency , giving the Western Conference champions some chips to put on the table in a bid to get back to the Stanley Cup Final.Vegas had nearly $30 million to spend going into the weekend, according to spotrac.com, trailing only the New York Islanders by about $2 million. The Golden Knights seem set up for major moves if general manager George McPhee wants to bolster the second-year team with free agents.Vegas didn’t appear to have a shot at landing the top prize on the market John Tavares . But the Golden Knights may make a run at some other available veterans to help increase their chances of competing at a championship level again next season.Players such as James van Riemsdyk and Paul Stastny would fit in up front with a team that stunningly exceeded expectations during the franchise’s inaugural season. Mike Green, perhaps the best defenseman available http://www.sanjosesharksteamshop.com/authentic-brent-burns-jersey , is another veteran that would mesh well as a puck-moving defenseman for the speedy team.However, McPhee may not want to pay a heavy price with long-term contracts to land any of the top players on the market. He may choose to re-sign his own free agents, sign goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has one year left on his deal, to a contract extension. He may roll with the talented players on his roster while trying to draft and develop.The Golden Knights have some free agents of their own they’ll want to bring back. James Neal, David Perron and Ryan Reaves are unrestricted free agents with a chance to cash in on their performances last season by re-signing with Vegas or leaving to take advantage of a thin crop of available players.Vegas’ key restricted free agents are: William Karlsson, Colin Miller, Shea Theodore, Tomas Nosek and Will Carrier. Keeping Karlsson, without a doubt, will be a priority.Here’s a look at some other teams positioned to make major moves:NEW YORK ISLANDERSThe Islanders had nearly $32 million in cap space the day before free agency began, giving them more money to spend than any other team in the league. They’ll need a lot of that money to retain Tavares, who is easily the best player potentially available. The 27-year-old star center can command an eight-year deal to stay in New York for perhaps $10 million Marian Hossa Jersey Womens , or more, per season.NEW YORK RANGERSThe Rangers were $27-plus million under the cap going into the weekend, but had just 13 players under contract. They will have to spend about $10 million next season to retain restricted free agents Vladislav Namestnikov, Kevin Hayes and Ryan Spooner.TORONTO MAPLE LEAFSThe franchise hopes to sign Tavares, who is from the Toronto area, to give it a second star to go along with 20-year-old Auston Matthews. Toronto will have some tough choices to make with some of its own players potentially on the unrestricted free agent market such as van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Tomas Plekanec and Leo Komarov. William Nylander, a restricted free agent, will be a priority to keep after consecutive 61-point seasons.VANCOUVER CANUCKSWith twin brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin retiring after counting $7 million each against the cap last season, the Canucks had nearly $25 million in cap space going into the weekend. They’ll probably have to pay free agents more and offer longer-term contracts than other suitors because they’ve been among the worst teams in the league the last three seasons.—