The NHL has announced on Saturday the Boston Bruins and Nashville Predators games will be postponed until at least December 26. This is all part of the ongoing battle when it comes to NHL COVID protocols and keeping people healthy.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: @NHLBruins, @PredsNHL shut down through Holiday Break; three additional games also postponed.
Details: https://t.co/NrfDn0VdNy pic.twitter.com/unKlyrNCip
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) December 18, 2021
Bruins, Predators Shut Down Due To NHL COVID Protocol
This is a precautionary action due to the recent COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the organizations. Both teams join the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers, which were shut down on Friday due to the same reason. The Calgary Flames is also on a COVID pause until December 23.
In addition, the league has also postponed the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks game for the weekend. The teams were scheduled to face each other on Saturday. The Leafs game against the Seattle Kraken and Canucks game against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday are also postponed.
NHL COVID Outbreaks Lead To Multiple Postponements
While the Bruins and Predators are the latest teams to be shut down, they’re not alone. Besides Calgary, Colorado and Florida, the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders also had to shut down their facilities in November. In addition to these teams, many others have had single games postponed due to COVID outbreaks.
The crescent in COVID cases is worrying and shows once again that the league needed to adapt their protocols. On Saturday, the league reintroduced their protocols that include preventative measures such as daily testing, mask-wearing and social distancing. The measures will remain in effect throughout the Holiday season and will be reevaluated on January 7, 2022.
NHLPA, NHL announce enhanced COVID-19 measures, which will remain in effect until January 7: https://t.co/VqDoEN2sjf
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) December 18, 2021
While the new protocol is stricter and may seem like too much for some, it is a preventative way to avoid more cases and outbreaks on the organizations. For now, the league has over 90 players and 35 staff members on the protocol. These numbers are growing with each day. Stricter protocols are more than needed at this point. On the brighter side, the Calgary Flames have announced there were no new positive tests on Friday. They are currently the most affected team in the NHL.
Main Photo:
