Grading Nic Dowd’s second season with the Washington Capitals.
Nic Dowd proved once again how great of an addition he was to the fourth line center position of the Washington Capitals. Dowd played in 56 games last season scoring seven goals and adding eight assists for 15 points. Dowd also had a 54.7 percent five on five shot attempt percentage, a 58 percent expected goal percentage and a 61.9 percent goal percentage.
It took some time for the fourth line to click but Dowd remained the constant, steady piece at center. He developed great chemistry with Garnet Hathaway and the two even have a podcast together called “Between Blue Lines”.
The fourth line clicked really well in late February when Richard Panik joined Dowd and Hathaway. In their 47 minutes of play, that line owned 58 percent of shot attempts, 75 percent of expected goals, and outscored opponents four to one. That was a line that really clicked and will likely be the fourth line this upcoming season with Dowd at the center of it all.
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Dowd also is an effective penalty killer. He played 138 minutes on the penalty kill and was a key factor along with Michal Kempny, Garnet Hathaway, and Nick Jensen. Dowd also scored three goals shorthanded.
We’ve got Dowd for at least two more seasons and it would be nice to get him a Stanley Cup after he joined the team in 2018 after they previously won it all. He had big shoes to fill with Jay Beagle’s departure but he still did alright on the face off dot winning 49.7 percent of his draws.
Dowd also is an impact player off the ice in the Caps community. Him and and his wife Paige have given back to the Autism community by making games more accessible and sensory friendly through their program called “Dowd’s Crowd.”
Grade A: Nic Dowd’s numbers dipped a little bit but keep in mind he also played eight games less than the previous season plus the season was shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Afer his buddy Hathaway got an A the day before it’s only right that Dowder gets an A for the season that he had.
Expect Dowd to be back on the fourth line this upcoming season centering a unit featuring Garnet Hathaway and Richard Panik. A full season with that line should be interesting. We also hope Between Two Blue Lines is back for another season.