Nic Dowd was a late scratch for the Capitals-Islanders’ New Year’s Eve game. That’s because Paige, Nic Dowd’s wife, went into labor with their first child earlier in the day.

The Capitals announced the news less than a half-hour before puck drop.

#Caps Nic Dowd will not play this afternoon vs NYI. Dowd is with his wife who is in labor with their first child.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 31, 2019

Dowd was replaced in the lineup by Travis Boyd who centered the fourth line.

8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 43-Wilson
13-Vrana, 92-Kuznetsov, 77-Oshie
62-Hagelin, 20-Eller, 14-Panik
28-Leipsic, 72-Boyd, 21-Hathaway

6-Kempny, 74-Carlson
9-Orlov, 3-Jensen
34-Siegenthaler, 33-Gudas

According to NBC Sports Washington’s Joe Beninati, Dowd arrived to the arena in the morning expecting to play, but then got the call and joined his wife at the hospital.

Paige first announced that she was pregnant on Instagram in late July. The child is a rainbow baby. A rainbow baby is a baby born to a couple who has experienced a previous pregnancy loss in the form of a miscarriage or stillbirth.

The couple revealed the gender of the child, a boy, with a cake.

In November, Paige and Jenner Jensen celebrated their pregnancies together with a baby shower that was attended by many of the Capitals’ better halves.

Congratulations to Nic and Paige!

Full RMNB Coverage of Caps vs Islanders

Headline photo: @paigemdowd