Nic Dowd you may receive a call from the Player Security Department in the near future.
At the end of the third period of the opening of the Capitals season against the Sabers, Dowd skated sideways through the neutral zone to deliver a bodycheck to Eric Staal.
The thought was there, but the execution was canceled.
Video
When Dowd goes to Staal’s shoulder, the back of the Capitals’ center appears to make contact with Staal’s head. The veteran center would leave the game and not return.
Dowd hits Staal in the head pic.twitter.com/Fnztvqur6j
– Ben Mathewson (optimistic saber fan) (@Ben_Mathewson) January 15, 2021
Dowd received just under two minutes for an illegal check to the head.
After the game, Sabers coach Ralph Krueger announced that Staal is on a day-to-day basis. He believed that Dowd’s coup deserved more than a minor penalty.
Ralph Krueger said that Eric Staal is from day to day and will be looked at tomorrow. He’s on a daily basis now. He felt that the blow deserved more than a two-minute penalty. #Sabres
– Bill Hoppe (@BillHoppeNHL) January 15, 2021
RMNB Coverage of Caps in Sabers
Screenshot courtesy of MSG