Dowd's current career-high three-game point streak includes goals in back-to-back wins over the New York Rangers and Islanders during the road trip in New York last weekend. He skated 13:11 in the first game and 14:31 in the second, both season highs as he's played more in Evgeny Kuznetsov's absence.
"I just think our team's playing better overall, so it's giving everyone more opportunities," Dowd said. "We've also had some injuries so I'm playing a little more than I have in the past. And I think Reirds (coach Todd Reirden) has done a good job rewarding guys throughout the year for playing well."
The Capitals six-game winning streak contains a lot of individual success. Tom Wilson, who's on a six-game point streak, has revitalized the top line in his first eight games while Brett Connolly and Lars Eller have combined for nine points over the same stretch since Nov. 13.
Still, Dowd's contributions in the Capitals 7-1-0 stretch haven't gone unnoticed.
"Coincidental or not, he starts to have more success [as the team has started to improve]," Reirden said, listing Dowd's improvement in five-on-five play, defense and faceoffs. "Now our PK (penalty kill) is coming along, so he feels better about himself in that area. He's getting himself into scoring areas and converting. Seems like it all goes hand-in-hand."
"I think he's comfortable with where he is in his game," added Lars Eller.
The Capitals signed Dowd on July 1, hoping that he'd fill their vacant fourth-line center role. He played his first full year in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2016-17 season before being traded last December to the Vancouver Canucks, where he scored three goals in 40 games. Joining the Stanley Cup champions seven months later didn't promise to be an easy adjustment.
But after some position-shuffling earlier in the season, as Reirden tinkered with different line combinations, Dowd seems to have carved out a role. And success has followed.
"I think everyone wants to contribute and it's always nice to do it on the stat sheet," Dowd said. "It's something that I've been able to find my entire career, minus last year, and it's something I want to get back to."
"He's an extremely hard worker, a professional," Reirden said of Dowd. "He goes about his trait, and is extremely serious, and I'm glad to see him rewarded with some offensive numbers."
