Sports

Dowd (upper body) leaves Capitals’ win after first

Dowd (upper body) leaves Capitals' win after first

It was not immediately clear how serious Dowd’s injury was or if the 33-year-old would miss any time. Asked for an update after the win, coach Spencer Carbery said only that Dowd would be reevaluated Wednesday. The Capitals leave for a two-game road trip after practice.

A faceoff specialist and penalty killer with some offensive ability who is signed through next season at the bargain basement salary cap hit of $1.3 million, Dowd is considered one of the most attractive players available ahead of the March 8 NHL trade deadline.

This season, Dowd has 16 points on eight goals and eight assists. He is a veteran of 507 regular-season and playoff games.

“Dowder’s a huge defensive piece on this team, and they’re hard shoes to fill,” said Connor McMichael, who scored twice and assumed some of Dowd’s ice time against the Devils. “But I thought our group did a collective job to step in for him, and we’re happy to get the win.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.