Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd (upper body) is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury suffered during Tuesday's win over the New Jersey Devils. He left after the first period and did not return. A bottom-six, defensive-minded pivot, Dowd has tallied a decent eight goals and 16 points across 45 games in his sixth season in Washington. He is also a plus-eight on a Capitals team sporting a minus-32 overall goal differential. The 33-year-old's ice time currently sits at a career-high 15:27 per night, as the Capitals have lost depth down the middle with both Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov out of the lineup indefinitely. The Caps currently sit at 25-21-8, good for sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd suffered an upper-body injury in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over New Jersey. He exited the action after the first period, finishing with 6:20 of ice time. Dowd entered Tuesday's clash with a three-game point streak and has done well on a struggling team all season. He's highly valued for his defensive capabilities and boasts 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 45 appearances with a team-best plus-eight rating. Nicolas Aube-Kubel is in line to step into the lineup if Dowd is forced to sit on Thursday versus Tampa Bay.
Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd had a very unfortunate ending to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, getting hurt on his second shift against the Islanders and exiting the game with a lower-body injury after logging just 57 seconds of ice time. He couldn't carry on after taking a hit from Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck. The team didn't have an immediate update on Dowd after the game. The 32-year-old plays a limited role for the Capitals, but he has done very well as the fourth-line center this season, scoring 10 goals and adding nine assists in 44 games. Lars Eller, who was a healthy scratch versus the Islanders, should assume Dowd's position in the lineup if he can't play against Minnesota on Tuesday.
Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd will miss Thursday's matchup against Columbus for personal reasons. He and his wife have just welcomed their second child to the world and Dowd has stayed behind in Washington to be with his family. Nicolas Aube-Kubel will replace him in the lineup Thursday, while Aliaksei Protas will take over Dowd's duties as the fourth-line center. Dowd is stuck on the fourth line, but that hasn't kept him from getting 10 goals and seven assists in 39 appearances. Alex Ovechkin (28) and Conor Sheary (11) and the only Capitals players with more goals than Dowd this season, so being without him is quite a blow, but he should be back in no time.
Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd returned from a one-game absence and had a big three-point performance in Monday's 4-3 overtime win against Detroit. He scored twice inside 11 seconds in the second period and linked with Marcus Johansson to set Dmitry Orlov up for the game-winning goal with just 22 seconds left in the extra frame. Dowd, who was back from a lower-body injury, become the third player in franchise history to get two goals in an 11-second span. The veteran has been very valuable for the team in a fourth-line role this season, getting seven goals and six assists in 13 appearances. He has also brought plenty of physicality with 74 hits registered.
