The Capitals will once again have Nic Dowd on the ice Friday night for just his third game of the season. Dowd had missed the last nine games of the year with an upper-body injury before rejoining the team for a two-game road trip.
After more than three weeks away, Dowd told reporters he was looking forward to rejoining the lineup.
“It is really exciting,” he said Friday. “It’s just nice not to be working away from the fellas. And to get back with the group is emotionally uplifting.”
Good to see you, Judy! pic.twitter.com/RFLuKpG5Hf
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 10, 2023
Dowd’s absence left a noticeable gap on the team’s fourth line, with head coach Spencer Carbery trying out both Aliaksei Protas and Hendrix Lapierre in the 4C spot to mixed results. He skated on Thursday without a no-contact jersey before the Capitals ultimately activated him off of injured reserve ahead of their game against the New Jersey Devils.
Carbery confirmed the return on Friday and emphasized the importance of having Dowd in the lineup.
“It looks like he’ll check back in,” Carbery said. “Good to have him back there down the middle, penalty kill wise, stabilizing the fourth line, but can also move up and play in different situations. It’s positive.”
After missing 16 games in the 2022-23 campaign due to injury, Dowd is used to the slow progress of recovery. He underwent core surgery over the offseason and later confirmed that he was still dealing with the injury’s effects. Still, that familiarity didn’t make things any easier.
“I think being out is [going] through a couple stages, right?” he said. “You’re frustrated that you got hurt and then you’ve got to put a lot of work in to get back to get back to a point where you feel like, ‘Hey, I’m healthy but also my conditioning is good enough to where I can compete against NHL players that have not taken days off.’
“And then it gets to be a little bit of a grind, getting back, because there’s nothing like game shape. There’s nothing you can do.”
Even amidst the frustration, Dowd was able to see the upsides in the injury’s timing, allowing him to return relatively early in the season.
“I think at any point I could probably find the silver lining in anything. I could probably tell you if it happened the middle of the year ‘oh yeah, it’s a nice reset,’ or whatever you want to call it. But I’ll go with that. There’s something to be said for (it).
“I told a couple of guys I felt like I was back in Training Camp and then this is the beginning of the season because I only got to play two games. But I didn’t like my first two games. I think the team’s been playing much better than we did to start the season, so I’m just going to try and help out wherever I can.”
This season also marked the first time Dowd rehabbed with Capitals Strength and Conditioning Coach Zach Leddon, who replaced Mark Nemish in the position over the summer. Dowd joked that Leddon was perhaps a bit too happy to put him through his paces.
“Zach’s strict,” he said with a smile. “I think he’s a little power hungry out there, but that’s okay.”
Dowd and his teammates will face the New Jersey Devils Friday night at 7 pm.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
