Capitals’ Nic Dowd suffers upper-body injury vs. Devils, will not return

Dowd’s last shift came towards the end of the first period, which ended with a collision with Devils’ forward Tyler Toffoli. He handled the puck after the hit, but went to the bench and headed straight for the locker room. He did not return for the second period.

Dowd came into Tuesday’s game with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points with 30 penalty minutes in 44 games played, averaging 15:40 of ice time. Now in his sixth season with the Capitals, Dowd has 57 goals and 60 assists for 117 points through 349 games with the club. He’s currently in the second season of a three-year extension he signed ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Through nine NHL seasons, the 33-year-old Dowd has 66 goals and 77 assists for 143 points in 480 games with the Capitals, Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings.

Taken in the seventh round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Dowd, a native of Huntsville, Al., spent four seasons playing college hockey with the St. Cloud State Huskies. He is the third NHL player from the state of Alabama.

Going into Tuesday night, the Capitals are 24-21-8 with 56 points, sixth in the Metropolitan Division. They’re 2-6-2 in their last 10 but won their last game against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday.