Nic Dowd was initially devastated when he was dealt at the NHL trade deadline by the Washington Capitals. Now, the gritty fourth-line center has realized a childhood dream with his new team, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Tuesday, the Golden Knights completed a shocking sweep of the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy-winner, and advanced to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
Dowd played a big role in the decisive Game 4, assisting on the series-winning goal scored by Cole Smith with 4:45 remaining in the second period.
Nic Dowd assists on Cole Smith’s series-winning goal
After some tenacious work along the sideboards, Dowd sent the puck out to Golden Knights defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who fired a quick shot on net from the point. Smith, set up just outside the crease, then got the blade of his stick on the puck, causing it to redirect through Mackenzie Blackwood‘s five-hole.
Dowd had an Ovechkian celebration, jumping up and down as he approached the goal hug at the other side of the ice. The goal put the Golden Knights up 2-0.
“We checked our ass off,” Golden Knights’ head coach John Tortorella said. “That’s what stands out to me. And that’s how you win in this league is by checking… By far our best game. It’s something we have been concentrating on, and I think we’ve gotten better and better through the rounds. But tonight’s game was our best checking effort. And that’s a hell of a hockey team.”
With 2:03 remaining in the third period, Gabriel Landeskog ended Carter Hart‘s shutout bid, tipping a Martin Necas shot home. But the Avalanche couldn’t tie, giving the Golden Knights their third Western Conference championship since first entering the league in 2017-18.
“It was a special moment,” Mitch Marner, playing in his first season with Vegas after an offseason sign and trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs, said. “There have been some dark times for myself in hockey, honestly.”
Marner and Dowd are among 14 players on the roster who will now play for their first Stanley Cup, joining teammates Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl, Carter Hart, Noah Hanifin, Braeden Bowman, Rasmus Andersson, Kaedan Korczak, Jeremy Lauzon, Colton Sissons, Cole Smith, Dylan Coghlan, and Akira Schmid.
After the presentation of the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, an excited Dowd waved up to his family, who were in attendance for the game.
“I mean, obviously, I’ve never been a part of something like this, right?” Dowd said. “So, there’s some people up there that mean a lot to me up there in the crowd that were there. Quite honestly, they’re sacrificing a lot for me to live my dream right now. So, yeah, I mean, it means a lot. But I think, you know, we have a lot left to do here.”
Dowd becomes just the second player born in Alabama to make a Stanley Cup Final, joining Huntsville, Alabama-native Jared Ross, who was a black ace on the Philadelphia Flyers’ team that made the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. When he takes the ice in a game, he will become the first Alabamian to play in the NHL’s championship series.
So far in the postseason, Dowd has five points (1g, 4a) in 20 games (his only goal was a shorthanded game-winner) while averaging 11:46 of ice time per night. But, like in Washington, it’s how Dowd helps turn tough assignments into good chances for Vegas at the other end, which is what makes him a difference-maker. Despite receiving 78.2 percent of his starts outside of the offensive zone, Dowd, while on the ice at five-on-five, has helped the Golden Knights generate more scoring chances (71-68) and high-danger chances (36-25) than their opponents. Vegas has been outscored 9-6 overall during those shifts, but Dowd’s expected goals percentage is 49.6 percent.
Dowd is one of two members of the Vegas Golden Knights who previously played for the Capitals. Joel Ward, an assistant coach for Vegas, was a beloved member of the team from 2011 through 2015.
The Capitals dealt Dowd to the Golden Knights on March 5, ahead of the trade deadline, for minor-league goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round draft pick, and a 2029 second-round draft pick. At the team’s next skate, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said it was “a tough day.”
“I think I speak for everybody here when I say he’s one of the best teammates that you could ask for,” Pierre-Luc Dubois said. “There’s Nic Dowd, the player, that’s going to be missed, but there’s also Nic Dowd, the person, that you can’t really put value on that, that’s going to be missed in this dressing room.”
“He just exemplifies exactly what a leader is and what a teammate is, a father, a husband,” Brandon Duhaime added. “He checks all the boxes, and what a privilege it was, to be able to take the ice with him.”
Dowd, who Washington acquired to replace Jay Beagle as the team’s checking-line center, spent seven seasons with the Capitals, forming strong bonds with both the team and the city. Several weeks later, Dowd admitted that “emotionally, it’s still challenging on the daily.”
In an interview with Vegas, Dowd also thanked everyone for getting so behind him in DC, making a special request.
“To the fans that supported me, I thank you guys,” Dowd said. “I appreciate you guys understanding me as an individual off the ice more so than on the ice. I hope that they’ll remain fans. It was a privilege to play. It was a privilege to play in that jersey and in front of those fans.”
