Today the NHL postponements affected three cross-border matchups. These three regular-season games were postponed due to COVID-19 crowd restrictions.
Three more #NHL games in Canada postponed due to capacity restrictions: pic.twitter.com/yBO3CuxruD
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 6, 2022
NHL Postponements Announced
The reasoning continues to be justified by “COVID-related issues”. Primarily by the continuing Canadian crowd restrictions during this unprecedented time and also the added precaution as further players continue to travel and test positive over the last few days.
The current list of postponed games for next week are as follows:
Monday 10th
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Montreal Canadians
Minnesota Wild @ Winnipeg Jets
Tuesday 11th
New York Islanders @ Calgary Flames
Wednesday 12th
Boston Bruins @ Canadians
Wild @ Edmonton Oilers
Friday 14th
Vegas Golden Knights @ Oilers
Saturday 15th
New Jersey Devils@ Canadians
Golden Knights @ Flames
Sunday 16th
Oilers @ Jets
Monday 17th
Devils @ Toronto Maple Leafs
Tuesday 18th
Detriot Red Wings @ Philadelphia Flyers
BlueJackets@ Islanders
Chicago Blackhawks @ Oilers
Moving Forward with the Season
With the epidemic here to stay long-term, it is unlikely the NHL will postpone the season at this stage. Time is on the league’s side to continue to take preventative measures like this to ensure players, staff, and fans are safe. However, from a team perspective, it is obvious that the Canadian teams will likely suffer the most from this rescheduling. But games will eventually catch up to bring it back into balance if no further large outbreaks follow. Although as a result of this unpredictable era, look for these postponements to be the norm for at least the next few weeks if not months. The teams can easily move players back and forth from their affiliate teams if needed.
These NHL postponements are likely not going to be the last we see this season. However, the league is doing its best to keep as many games on schedule as possible. As the season wears on, keeping the playoffs on track will become vitally important.
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