The Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens game slated for Saturday has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues. Thursday night’s game with the Philadelphia Flyers at the Bell Centre barred fans from attending. News of the postponement broke Friday morning.
BREAKING: The NHL has postponed Saturday's game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.https://t.co/VqLohgoofI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 17, 2021
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens Called Off
The matchup between the archrivals is the latest game to be moved by COVID. Games involving the Calgary Flames were postponed through Saturday at least due their outbreak. There are around 60 players in COVID-19 protocol at this time. No makeup date has been set at this time.
This was the last home game for the Canadiens for the calendar year. Provincial officials will re-evaluate the situation, but it’s expected that capacity will be limited for the foreseeable future.
Montreal forward Jonathan Drouin expressed concerns about playing a team with so many cases like the Bruins. Boston has seven players listed and more could be added.
“I’m not really comfortable playing against a team that has so many cases of Covid,” Drouin said to the media. “There are currently seven cases, but there could be three more tomorrow.”
The Boston vs Montreal matchup in the 11th postponed this season, but the sixth this week to be pushed back.
What it Means
Things are getting worse with the new Omicron variant coming into the picture. The league has introduced a return to the strict protocols that were part of the 2020-21 NHL season. This means mask-wearing, limiting public participation in events outside the rink and more testing. All sports like the NFL, NBA and English Premier League are dealing with this.
Other players have expressed concerns about continuing while cases are climbing. Nashville Predators forward Luke Kunin was one of those players that thought the NHL should pause for a bit.
The recent outbreak may also play a hand in NHL players not going to the Olympics. However, they will look into some solution into making the event happen.
