The NHL has updated a small number of games for the 2020-21 schedule. This is not the first time such updates have happened and it will probably not be the last. Fans will remember that the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning had adjustments earlier this year. They appear once more in this latest update. The NHL’s Public Relations Department announced the news Friday morning.
The @NHL today announced updates to the 2020-21 regular-season schedule impacting the @Canes, @TBLightning and @NHLBlackhawks. https://t.co/FK1lya8e3w pic.twitter.com/1yFqiuBk83
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 19, 2021
NHL Updates 2020-21 Schedule Further
This is a much smaller update than the one that took place in January. Five teams saw a handful of games shuffled, but this recent change only affects three. It’s interesting that one game from March is being moved ahead by roughly one full month, but that is likely so the league can pack as many games in while they have the ability. One could make the argument that it creates additional injury risk, but the league has to do its best to ensure that teams play the intended number of games. Leaving something until late March creates an alternative scenario where games are cancelled without the possibility of a make-up date before the postseason.
What This Means For The Future
This update is merely the latest indication that the 2020-21 season is exceptionally fluid. Most of the teams that have been on a recent hiatus have returned, but the Lightning and Dallas Stars have a game originally scheduled for tonight postponed due to extreme weather. There is really no way to evaluate what is happening around North American hockey without realizing that almost every day seems to add a new element of chaos. The league, ownership, and players are merely doing the best they can to enjoy themselves. Only time will reveal how much more will change between now and when operations return to a more recognizable form. The only safe bet is that the schedule is not done evolving.
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