Capitals' Nic Dowd: Pots goal in shootout loss

Dowd scored a goal, added seven PIM, doled out five hits and blocked two shots in Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Hurricanes.

The goal was Dowd's first point in four games since he returned from missing eight contests due to an upper-body injury. The 35-year-old has returned to his usual bottom-six role, where he excels as a defensive specialist. He has six points, 25 shots on net, 39 hits, 14 blocked shots, 23 PIM and a plus-2 rating over 23 appearances. Dowd will likely fall short of the career-high 27 points he had in the 2024-25 regular season.