“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the
chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt
When Nic Dowd signed a one-year/$650,000 contract last July
1st, he was joining his third team in seven months, having been
traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Vancouver Canucks the previous
December. He was also replacing, if not
a legend, then one of the more loved players in team history in Jay Beagle, who
himself was moving on to Vancouver as a free agent. That is a lot of stuff to deal with, even for
a professional sports athlete. But it
was a chance to join a contender coming off a Stanley Cup championship, a
chance that only some players get to experience.
His season was equal parts predictable for a bottom six-forward
and successful. The predictable part was
that he put up modest numbers. He did
establish a new career high in goals (eight) and tied his career high in points
(22), both considerable improvements over his 2017-2018 season split between
Los Angeles and Vancouver (3-1-4, minus-10), but he did it in 64 games, his
season interrupted in parts with scratches for a game here, a couple of games
there.
As one might expect, Dowd illustrated the benefits of
secondary scoring. The Caps were 7-1-0
in the eight games in which he scored a goal, 16-2-1 in games in which he
recorded a point. Even without scoring,
engagement in the offensive end mattered, the Caps going 11-1-0 in games in
which Dowd recorded at least two shots on goal.
His time on ice reflected the benefits of being able to roll a full four
lines. Washington was 21-7-0 in 28 games
in which Dowd skated at least 10:44, 18-12-6 in the 36 games he played and
skated less time. Those wins and losses
by ice time were roughly similar to those of the player he replaced – Jay
Beagle – who skated more than 13 minutes 33 times last season, the Caps with a
25-5-3 record in those games, while the Caps were 22-20-4 in games in which
Beagle skated less than 13 minutes.
Fearless’ Take… Even with the intermittent scratches and
absences, Dowd seemed to settle into his role and reach a comfort level as the
season wore on. While he did play all
ten games of his first ten-game segment, he played in only six of the next
ten. He played in six of ten games in
his fifth segment, five of ten in his sixth segment. It made for a performance progression by
segments that was all over the place. He
did dress for 20 of 22 games in his last two segments and went 3-4-7, plus 5,
not bad production given his role.
Cheerless’ Take… The Caps relied on fourth line minutes less
this season than last, and that can be seen in the even strength ice time per
game of Dowd (8:38) versus Beagle’s last season (9:54). Beagle also averaged about a minute more in
penalty killing time per game (2:31) than did Dowd (1:39). Beagle also averaged more than four more
shifts per game (18.0) than did Dowd (13.5), although Dowd’s average time per
shift (0:46) was higher than Beagle’s (0:42).
Odd Dowd Fact… Nic Dowd, born in Huntsville, Alabama, has played more NHL games combined than all
the other players born in Alabama have played in the NHL. OK, it is 195 games, and there are only two
other Alabama natives to dress in the NHL – Jared Ross (13 games) and Aud Tuten
(39 games).
Game to Remember… December 14th at Carolina
As November ended and December began, Nic Dowd found himself
on a hot streak. In nine games from
November 23rd through December 11th, he was 3-4-7,
plus-5, and the Caps were the beneficiaries, going 7-2-0 in that stretch. The game in Carolina would be a challenge,
though, and the Hurricanes put the Caps in a hole early with a Sebastian Aho
goal just 47 seconds into the game. The
Caps tied it three minutes later on an Alex Ovechkin goal, Dowd providing the
secondary assist. However, Carolina
would score three goals over the next 23 minutes to take a 4-1 lead in the
second period.
The Caps got one back on a Tom Wilson goal 12 minutes into
the period, and late in the period the Caps tied the game on goals by Ovechkin
and Travis Boyd, Dowd providing assists on both. The Caps and Hurricanes exchanged power play
goals in the third period before skating a scoreless overtime. The trick shot competition went six rounds
before Jakub Vrana won it for the Caps, 6-5.
For Dowd, it was a three-assist night, the first three-point night of
his career.
Game to Forget… December 19th vs. Pittsburgh
The Caps carried a five-game winning streak into their
match-up with the Penguins on December 19th. The teams had already played twice, splitting
a pair of one-goal decisions, Pittsburgh’s win coming in overtime. All of the scoring came in the second period
of the contest, the Caps opening with a Lars Eller goal and the Pens tying and
taking a lead on goals by Sidney Crosby and Brian Rust. It was a period in which Dowd skated only two
shifts and 1:05 in ice time. As the Caps
looked for the equalizer in the third period, Dowd got barely more ice
exposure, skating three shifts and 2:13 in ice time, none of it in the last
eight minutes. The Caps did not get that
game-tying goal, dropping a 2-1 decision and ending their winning streak at
five games. Dowd’s night was brief and
uneventful. In nine shifts (a team low),
he skated 6:49 (only 5:15 of it at even strength) with one shot attempt (a
missed shot) and three faceoffs.
Looking ahead…
Nic Dowd signed a three-year extension that carries a
$750,000 annual cap hit that will begin running next season. That signing ensures that the Caps, barring
any other personnel moves, will be set down the middle on all four lines for
the 2019-2020 season. For Dowd it is the
sort of contract stability he had not known in his brief career, having signed
mostly one-year deals (the exception, a two-year deal with Los Angeles that
expired before he signed his one year contract with the Caps last summer). Dowd presents a bit of an odd profile. Although he turns 29 years old later this
month, he has fewer than 200 games of regular season experience on his resume
over four NHL seasons. He is a typical
fourth liner – 10-12 minutes of ice time per game, 20 point or so ceiling,
decent on faceoffs (51.9 percent this season with the Caps), can kill penalties
(1:39 per game), can make use of grittership skills (fourth among Capital forwards
in hits, fifth in blocked shots, positive takeaway-to-giveaway ratio). He is not, nor is he expected to be a
difference-maker, but he can be the sort of player that provides some glue
among the bottom six forwards to keep that area from being a headache.
In the end…
Nic Dowd might be a late bloomer. A seventh round draft pick (198th
overall in 2009 and the lowest pick of that draft to appear in more than two
games), he did not get into his first NHL action until he was two months shy of
his 26th birthday. But he has topped 20
points in two of his last three seasons, the exception being the year
(2017-2018) he split between Los Angeles and Vancouver. One thing that stands out in his season with
the Caps is filling the role of a player who plays simply, keeps things honest,
and is not a liability in the defensive end.
That is the player the Caps had in 2018-2019 and hope they have for
three years to come.
Grade: B
Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America
Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America
