The NHL has announced on Friday the postponement of Boston Bruins‘ games against the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders. The puck drops were to happen on Saturday and Tuesday. Four Bruins players were added to the COVID Protocol List causing the postponements. However, their names remain unknown and according to the league, more results are yet to be received.
Schedule update: @NHLBruins games Saturday against the @BuffaloSabres and Tuesday against the @NYIslanders have been postponed. https://t.co/gt7KsgWNCe pic.twitter.com/yyAavBtP02
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 19, 2021
Two Boston Bruins Games Postponed Due to NHL COVID Protocols
After the huge COVID outbreak the NHL had to face in February, many thought the league would’ve learned its lesson. But apparently, they didn’t.
This is not the first scare of the week. The first one was before the New York Islanders game against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, when Jean-Gabriel Pageau was added to the list. Then, Noah Dobson was a super-late scratch and was added to the list on Wednesday.
The game went on as scheduled and happily, no other player from either team has been added to the list since. Pageau was taken off the list the day after and has returned to play. There was also the incident with the New York Rangers, as their entire coaching staff is currently under the protocol.
However, when Buffalo and Boston cancelled their morning practices on Thursday due to a staff member and a player, respectively, entering the protocols, the NHL let the game go on as scheduled. Of course, both teams did contact tracing and rapid tests. Now it is known that those are not so helpful as many thought them to be.
Now two teams are at risk of having a COVID-19 outbreak – Buffalo for the second time in less than two months – and the league has a ticking bomb on their hands.
The Sabres’ Unlucky Wave
John Vogl has reported that the Sabres’ players are upset with the league and that they aren’t sure what comes next. There hasn’t been any Buffalo player added to the list. However, with how this virus works, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if names start to pop up the following days.
Deleted a tweet to correct:
Also confirmed:
The Sabres are once again upset they had to play a team that had one player enter COVID-19 protocols followed by more players from that team entering.
A source says BOSTON players have been deemed close contacts. https://t.co/m1KQf0qhPO
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) March 19, 2021
The last time a COVID outbreak happened, the Sabres were in this same spot: the team they played had players added to the list right before the game. What happened next was a big bump in their already failed season. They had to quarantine for two weeks, their former head coach and nine players were added to the list. Rasmus Ristolainen had severe symptoms and stayed out of the lineup for almost a month. It wasn’t good for the team at all.
If they’ll have to shut their doors to quarantine once again is yet to be known. However, the players and staff have every right to be upset at the league, with positive tests or not. It was irresponsible to let the game go on and put both Boston and Buffalo at risk. How they handle this situation will tell a lot about how serious they are with players and staff safety. And it can end up in a big disaster if they don’t make the right decisions.
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