Toronto Maple Leafs center Jay McClement (11) controls the puck in front of Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Brian Blanco
October 08, 2013 - 8:57 AM
TORONTO - Toronto forward Jay McClement missed the morning skate Tuesday to be with his wife who went into labour.
Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said the couple, expecting their first child, went to the hospital about 3:30 a.m. ET.
"Hopefully it comes quicker than later," said Carlyle, mindful of a game looming with the Colorado Avalanche. "But it's something we don't have control over.
"You can't blame me for that one guys," he told reporters, drawing laughs.
Tuesday's game marks the first meeting between the two teams since Oct. 17, 2011, when the visiting Avs edged the Leafs 3-2 in overtime.
Winger Joffrey Lupul seemed unfazed by the unfamiliarity.
"Obviously there's a certain comfort with Bostons, Montreals and the teams that we play all the time. You know exactly what they're going to do. But again it's still early in the season. We're focusing on what we want to do," he said.
"We've got some things we know we can work on. Even though we're 3-0, we don't feel like we've quite played the game exactly the way that we're capable of. So we're focusing mainly on us. And obviously there's some players you have to watch out for over there but we've got to worry about our own game and pick it up a bit."
For Lupul, Toronto can improve on its execution, including coming out of its own zone and cutting down on turnovers in the neutral zone.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013