Dowd scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 6-2 win over Utah.
Dowd finished off a quick play at 7:56 of the first period, just 10 seconds after Dylan Strome got the Capitals on the board. The goal ended a six-game slump for Dowd, who has been effective in a fourth-line role this season. The veteran center is at five goals, two helpers, 24 shots on net, 34 hits, 19 blocked shots, 14 PIM and a plus-5 rating through 18 contests. He's averaging a career-high 16:01 of ice time -- by that measure, he's more like a middle-six forward, though his ceiling is likely in the 25-30 point range.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Tallies in blowout win
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Dowd scored a goal on two shots in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Dowd has scored in four of the last six games. His tally Saturday was the Capitals' fifth in a first-period blitz that gave them plenty of offense in the win. The 34-year-old center is up to five points, 16 shots on net, 21 hits, 12 blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-7 rating through 10 contests. Dowd should continue to provide decent depth scoring in a bottom-six role, though his pace is likely to slow down since he's never had more than 25 points in a single campaign.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Deposits empty-netter
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Dowd scored an empty-net goal in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
The Capitals were able to nurse a 4-3 lead from early in the second period to the final minute, when Dowd gave them breathing room with an empty-netter. It was his third goal in the last four games. The 34-year-old center has four points, 10 shots on net, 18 hits, eight blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-5 rating over eight appearances this season. He continues to play a much larger role than his fourth-line assignment would suggest, though a lot of that comes from defensive work.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Scores again Wednesday
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Dowd scored a goal on two shots, added two PIM and went plus-2 in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Flyers.
Dowd scored a shorthanded goal Tuesday, and his goal Wednesday came just after he finished serving a penalty for holding early in the second period. The fourth-line center is up to three points, eight shots on net, 15 hits, eight blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-6 rating over six contests. Dowd won't rack up huge scoring numbers, but the Capitals have him playing significant ice time, so he could have some appeal in deep fantasy formats that count hits and faceoffs.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Pots short-handed goal
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Dowd tallied a short-handed goal, two shots and a plus-2 rating during Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Flyers.
Dowd opened the scoring for the Capitals with their first of two shorthanded markers in the opening period. The 34-year-old has a goal and two points in his first five games and is well on his way to another 20-plus point season.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Offers helper in win
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Dowd logged an assist, two shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Golden Knights.
Dowd set up a Jakob Chychrun tally in the second period. While playing as the listed fourth-line center, Dowd was second among Capitals forwards with 17:57 of ice time in this win. The 34-year-old's contributions are mostly defensive in nature, but he has been able to top 20 points in four of the last six seasons while playing in no more than 65 games in any of those years. In deeper fantasy formats that count hits, he can also provide some value, especially if he continues to play a larger-than-expected role in 2024-25.
Dowd registered a goal, five PIM and eight hits in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Lightning.
Dowd dropped the gloves with Lightning forward Michael Eyssimont following the latter's hit that knocked Nick Jensen (undisclosed) out of the game. Dowd also provided an insurance goal in the third period to snap a six-game scoring drought. The 33-year-old forward has hit the 20-point mark in three consecutive seasons.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Removed from IR
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Dowd (upper body) has been activated from injured reserve ahead of Wednesday's game versus the Oilers, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.
Dowd was initially labeled a game-time decision for Wednesday's matchup with Edmonton, but his activation suggests he'll be available. He missed nine games with the injury and should return to a bottom-six role.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Game-time call
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Dowd (upper body) will be a game-time decision versus the Oilers on Thursday, Bailey Johnson of The Washington Post reports.
Dowd will need to be activated off injured reserve in order to be eligible to return against Edmonton. The 33-year-old pivot has collected 16 points through 45 games this season.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Ruled out Thursday
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Dowd (upper body) will not be in the lineup against the Penguins on Thursday, Sammi Silber of The Hockey News reports.
Dowd may have played his last game in a Capitals jersey, as the 33-year-old center has been the subject of trade speculation recently. Prior to getting hurt, the Alabama native was finding his offensive game with one goal and two assists in his previous four outings.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: In non-contact jersey
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Dowd (upper body) returned to practice Friday in a non-contact jersey, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Dowd has missed the last four games after he was injured Feb. 20 versus New Jersey. He won't play Friday against the Flyers, but he's expected to return at some point next week. Dowd has eight goals, eight assists, 57 blocked shots and 58 hits in 45 contests this season.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: On injured reserve
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Dowd (upper body) was put on injured reserve Friday, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.
Dowd, who last played Tuesday, was already expected to miss Saturday's game against Florida, but he's now also been ruled out for Monday's game against Ottawa at a minimum. He has eight goals, 16 points, 58 hits and 57 blocks in 45 outings in 2023-24. Hendrix Lapierre was called up from AHL Hershey in a corresponding move.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Slated to miss next two games
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Dowd (upper body) is considered to be day-to-day, but he won't travel for the Capitals' upcoming two-game road trip, the team reports Wednesday.
Dowd is expected to miss Thursday's match in Tampa Bay and Saturday's road contest versus the Panthers. After that, the Capitals will return home to face the Senators on Monday. With the 33-year-old forward unavailable, Pierrick Dube was recalled from AHL Hershey on Wednesday and might draw into the lineup. Dowd has eight goals, 16 points, 30 PIM, 56 hits and 57 blocks in 45 appearances this season.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Sustains upper-body injury
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Dowd (upper body) won't return to Tuesday's contest versus the Devils.
Dowd was hurt in the first period and didn't appear in the second. The 33-year-old entered Tuesday on a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists). If he misses time, Nicolas Aube-Kubel figures to enter the lineup.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Strikes early Sunday
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Dowd scored a goal on two shots in Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Canucks.
Dowd gave the Capitals a lead early in the first period. He snapped a five-game point drought with the tally, though that slump followed a strong January that saw the fourth-liner rack up seven points over 13 appearances. Dowd has eight goals, six assists, 40 shots on net, 45 hits, 52 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating through 42 outings this season. He's steady as a defensive center, but he typically won't score enough to help in fantasy.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Running hot
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Dowd has posted three goals and seven points over the last 10 games.
Dowd is rebounding from a quiet December which saw him post just two goals and one assist in 14 games. The 33-year-old could garner plenty of interest if Washington decides to sell at the upcoming trade deadline, but he's only topped the 20-point mark four times in his career so this boon to his fantasy appeal may be short-lived.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Two-point effort in win
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Dowd scored a goal and added an assist in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Kings.
The checking-line center opened the scoring early in the second period, beating Cam Talbot on the backhand to complete a 2-on-1 rush. Dowd is suddenly making regular appearances on the scoresheet, racking up two goals and five points over the last five games. That hot stretch accounts for half his production on the season -- through 29 contests, the 33-year-old has six goals and 10 points.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Opens scoring in loss
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Dowd scored a goal and earned three blocked shots in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
Dowd has elevated his offensive game of late, delivering two assists and three points in his past four outings. He remains a fine utility player and penalty-killing specialist with five goals, three assists and a plus-4 rating through 28 games. However, the vast majority of fantasy managers will pass on the 33-year-old due to his fourth-line role.
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Capitals' Nic Dowd: Offers assist in shootout loss
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Dowd provided an assist and fired two shots on goal in Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Predators.
Dowd set up a Beck Malenstyn tally in the first period. The assist ended an eight-game point drought for Dowd. The 33-year-old has remained a fixture on the Capitals' fourth line with the ability to move up in the lineup as necessary for key defensive moments. He's produced six points, 26 shots on net, 32 blocked shots, 24 hits and a plus-5 rating through 25 appearances. His on-ice value is higher than his fantasy usefulness, as he simply doesn't score enough to be helpful in the virtual game.
