Nic Dowd got in a fight and scored a late insurance goal that sealed the Caps’ huge 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. And he had some extra motivation fueling him.
Nick Jensen, a longtime teammate and one of his best friends off the ice, was stretchered off of the ice due to a hit by Michael Eyssimont in the first period.
Speaking postgame, Dowd was visibly emotional and got choked up multiple times while addressing reporters.
“You’re immediately upset [upon seeing the hit] but then when I see Jens laying on the ice like that…it’s tough to see,” Dowd said postgame. “He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. Our kids grow up together, born around the same time. I know his family really well. Seeing anybody in a vulnerable state like that is challenging but he’s a tough guy so I’m glad to know that he’s doing better now.”
Dowd ultimately was the player who got revenge for Jensen. He dropped the gloves with Eyssimont 11:02 into the second period. While Dowd mostly connected with Eyssimont’s helmet with his punches, he was the clear winner of the fight.
“Any of our teammates would have stepped up and done that,” Dowd said. “I just saw an opportunity and there’s obviously a bit of a code. We were able to handle it and move on.”
The Capitals finished the game with just five defensemen. John Carlson and Martin Fehervary shouldered the bulk of the extra ice time, playing over 27 minutes each.
“[Jensen’s] a huge piece of our team,” Dowd said. “I think he does so many things that go unnoticed, blocks a ton of shots, leads our penalty kill, really good in the offensive zone. He’s a heart and soul guy, he’s a leader.
“It’s tough to say that you want to go out there and win the game for Jens, right? There’s no question we got a brother and a teammate that gets injured like that but I think we just had to understand the gravity of the situation and not let that play into how we need to finish the game because I think Jens would be happy with the outcome knowing that we stepped up for him and got the job done.”
Head coach Spencer Carbery provided a positive update on Jensen during his own postgame media availability. Carbery revealed that the downed defender was able to avoid a hospital stay and walked out of the building with his family.
“It was a little challenging,” Dowd said of playing after Jensen got hurt. “You’re still thinking about your buddy. I think our team did a really, really good job of staying composed and pushing in that direction under really challenging circumstances.”
