The Washington Capitals lost to the New York Islanders, 2-1, in a shootout Wednesday night in a game that may have lulled some to sleep. Conor Sheary and Nic Dowd were not among those who napped, though, as they both continued their hot streaks.
Sheary scored on a backhander from the slot to extend his point streak to four games and tie the game. The four game streak is one shy of tying his career high, which he has done twice. The career high first came in the 2021-22 season where he registered 2 goals, 4 assists from Dec. 10-19. Sheary then matched that earlier this season from Dec. 23-Jan. 3 as he picked up a goal and seven assists.
“I’ve been with the same line for a few games, we’ve had some good chemistry [with Dowd and Nicolas Aube-Kubel],” Sheary said. “I think I went through a long 20-game stretch where it felt like I was gripping my stick a little too tight and not finishing on my opportunities. It’s not like I am getting an influx of chances, it’s just when I am, I’m capitalizing.”
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 30, 2023
“The puck just came to me in the slot, I had a little bit of room,” Sheary said of the goal. “Thought I could catch [Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin] by surprise with a backhand with him sliding one way. I don’t score on my backhand too often, but I caught him on that one.”
Dowd recorded an assist on the goal adding to his career high point total of 26. The assist also marked Dowd’s third point (1g, 2a) in the last four games.
“In a game that you know is going to be a low-event game, somebody goes up 1-0, it was good to get a response right away and tie that game back up at 1-1,” Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said. “I thought it was a big goal. [Sheary] played well.”
Laviolette, like Sheary, complimented the play of the entire line of Sheary, Dowd and Nicolas Aube-Kubel
While the Caps are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, guys are still playing for something. In Sheary’s case, its a new contract as he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. For Dowd, it could be making a case to stay with the team as a roster shakeup could be looming.
