NHL: three new matches postponed due to Covid-19

Three new matches of the North American Ice Hockey Championship (NHL) have been postponed due to the Covid, the NHL announced on Sunday, which had already postponed its resumption after the Christmas break to Tuesday instead of Monday.

The meetings scheduled for Tuesday evening between Columbus and Chicago as well as those of Wednesday between Pittsburgh and Toronto and Boston and Ottawa will therefore be played at later dates.

« The League and NHL Players’ Association will continue to monitor test results and team readiness in the days and weeks ahead. »the NHL said in a statement, adding that a « variety of factors » will be taken into account when assessing whether a match should be postponed.

Already 67 meetings postponed in the NHL

The NHL has also announced that teams will again be allowed to form reserve teams of six players to compensate for absences due to the virus in their workforce. This measure had already been put in place last season in the heart of the first waves of the pandemic.

Players from reserve teams will be allowed to travel and train with their franchise, but they will only be able to participate in a match if they are called up and placed on the so-called « active » list of players.

The NHL and players’ union have also agreed that teams will be allowed to urgently recall minor league players if Covid-related absences leave them without a full roster. A total of 67 NHL matches have already been postponed this season.