The NHL has postponed two more games for coronavirus-related reasons, making it five so far this season.
Upcoming New York Islanders games Sunday at the Rangers and Tuesday at the Philadelphia Flyers were postponed after additional players went into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Saturday. The team would have had as many as eight players unavailable.
The league says the possibility of additional spread contributed to the Islanders’ games through at least Tuesday being called off for now. The team has said captain Anders Lee, fellow forwards Ross Johnston and Kieffer Bellows and defensemen Zdeno Chara, Adam Pelech and Andy Greene were in protocol, and winger Josh Bailey only recently resumed skating after being quarantined.
General Manager Lou Lamoriello said as recently as Wednesday that none of the players who were positive for the virus had tested negative to clear the way to return. The short-handed Islanders lost 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at home Friday night.
“We’re kind of piecemealing it,” Coach Barry Trotz said after the loss. “The young guys who have come in, they’re doing what they can. … They’re doing the job that they can. There’s no one not trying right now.”
The NHL postponed three Ottawa Senators games in mid-November because of that team’s virus outbreak. One of those games, at the New Jersey Devils, has been rescheduled for Dec. 6.
Ottawa is 0-3-0 since resuming play and put goaltender Matt Murray on waivers Saturday. Murray allowed four goals on 27 shots in a loss Wednesday, his only start since being activated off the COVID-19 list.
When the NHL agreed to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the league and the NHL Players’ Association added the caveat that they could withdraw based on pandemic conditions. It would take a significant amount of postponements to trigger the NHL/NHLPA withdrawal for a material disruption to the season that would require the 2 1/2-week Olympic break in February to make up games.
The league and players have until Jan. 10 to pull out without financial penalty. Canada named Claude Julien coach for two international tournaments in December as part of a potential plan B staff if the NHL does not participate in the Olympics.
RANGERS: Forward Artemi Panarin has been fined $5,000 for throwing one of his gloves at Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand.
The fine is the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union.
Panarin and Marchand were standing in front of their respective benches when the glove-throwing episode occurred during the third period of New York’s 5-2 victory at Boston on Friday. Panarin was assessed a misconduct penalty.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
KRAKEN 4, PANTHERS 1: Chris Driedger made 33 saves against his former team, helping Seattle defeat Florida to deny the Panthers what would have been a record-setting 12th consecutive home win to start the season.
Jordan Eberle scored twice in his 800th game, Ryan Donato and Jamie Oleksiak added goals and Joonas Donskoi had two assists for the Kraken, who were facing the Panthers for the first time.
Patric Hornqvist had the goal for Florida, and Spencer Knight stopped 23 shots for the Panthers.
Florida was bidding to become the first team in NHL history to start 12-0-0 at home; the Panthers will merely have to share the record of 11 consecutive home-ice victories to open a season with Chicago, which had such a start in 1963-64.
KINGS 4, SENATORS 2: Carl Grundstrom scored twice to help Los Angeles won at home, ending a five-game losing streak.
Viktor Arvidsson had a power-play goal, Arthur Kaliyev and Anze Kopitar had three assists.
RED WINGS 3, SABRES 2: Lucas Raymond scored 25 seconds into overtime to give Detroit a win at home.
Dylan Larkin and Filip Hronek assisted on Raymond’s goal, which came shortly after Buffalo forced the extra session when Jeff Skinner scored late in the third period.
OILERS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2: Mikko Koskinen stopped 36 shots, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi scored in Edmonton’s win at Las Vegas.
CANADIENS 6, PENGUINS 3: Montreal scored five third-period goals and ended a seven-game road losing streak.
Josh Anderson tallied two empty-netters in the third period and Tyler Toffoli added another. Christian Dvorak and Artturi Lehkonen also scored in the final 20 minutes for the Canadiens.
BLUES 6, BLUE JACKETS 3: Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev each scored twice and St. Louis won at home.
Justin Faulk and Jordan Kyrou also scored as St. Louis won for just the third time in 10 games. Ville Husso made 24 saves for his third win in four starts.
STARS 3, COYOTES 2: Hot-shooting Roope Hintz scored his seventh goal in eight games and Dallas extended its winning streak to four with a victory in Glendale, Arizona.
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