New Knights center set to face former team: ‘Business as usual’

Nic Dowd has become one of the last Vegas Golden Knights skaters to hop off the ice after practice.

It just so happened Friday was the day the media wanted to talk to him.

As he hopped off, while apologizing for the delay, his former Washington Capitals teammates were trickling onto the ice for practice.

Dowd took an extra five minutes to catch up with former teammates, including a big hug to enforcer Tom Wilson.

The veteran center made his way over to the scrum and apologized again.

No one’s going to blame Dowd, given he has known most of his Capitals teammates for the past eight years. Then came the shock of Washington trading him to the Knights on March 5, a moment Dowd was honest about.

He didn’t see it coming. It was a shocking moment. Now a month into his new home, it’s been settling in.

“I think at this point, the shock value’s gone away a little bit,” Dowd said. “It’s good to see the guys from a non-hockey standpoint. I’ve seen a lot of those guys for eight years and knowing some of those guys for longer.”

Dowd will face his former team for the first time Saturday when the Knights host the Capitals at T-Mobile Arena.

The 35-year-old played 506 of his 648 games with the Capitals, playing as a reliable forechecker and responsible player in his own zone.

He has brought those elements to a fourth line that was lacking in those areas. Dowd and fellow newcomer Cole Smith have created a formidable tandem on the Knights’ identity line.

The Knights have had the advantage in shots (32-28), scoring chances (42-34) and expected goals (3.18 - 2.78) with Dowd and Smith on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.

“I’m still learning how he plays and his tendencies,” Dowd said of Smith. “I think as a depth line, you really have to make the most of your opportunities in the O-zone. They can sometimes be few and far between.

“We start a lot of shifts in the D-zone, so your details really got to be good, and it helps knowing the guys that you’re playing with, knowing their tendencies because it can give you an advantage in a split second to get a puck to an area.”

Though Dowd’s line has generated only one goal in 11 games, the mentality offensively has trickled through the rest of the lineup.

The fourth line has taken charge of coach Bruce Cassidy’s message of getting pucks deep and generating low-to-high action with the defensemen.

It has allowed the Knights to control play in the shot department the last six games. They’ve been generating more, though it hasn’t resulted in goals, being outscored 20-8 in the last six games.

“The low-to-high, if it stretches teams out, everyone collapses,” Cassidy said. “We’re one of the better teams in getting the puck to the slot, but you’ve got to pick your time to get it there. If you go low to high, you recover some pucks while they’re on their way out to the point, that opens up some ice in the middle. That’s what has to loosen teams up sometimes.”

Every game is becoming must-win territory for the Knights, as they sit two points back of the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division.

Dowd has been thrust into important games, starting Saturday against his former team.

“I think tomorrow, business as usual,” Dowd said. “(I’ll) try and use all my secrets against them and see if I can help push us in the right direction.”

Up next

Who: Capitals at Golden Knights

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: T-Mobile Arena

TV: KMCC-34

Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM

Line: Knights -160; total 6