NHL postpones 3 games amid Ottawa Senators virus outbreak

The NHL postponed 3 Ottawa Senators games connected Monday amid a COVID-19 outbreak connected the team, the archetypal clip immoderate North American large nonrecreational sports league has been deed by rescheduling this autumn due to the fact that of the coronavirus.

Games scheduled for Tuesday astatine New Jersey, astatine location Thursday against Nashville and astatine location Saturday against the New York Rangers were postponed. Ten Senators players are presently successful the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

While Ottawa played shorthanded Sunday successful a 4-0 nonaccomplishment to Calgary, the extent of the outbreak led to the determination to postpone games, which the league said was made successful airy of grounds of continued dispersed successful caller days. The Senators are unopen down done astatine slightest Saturday, with their grooming facilities closed to players until past arsenic a precaution.

“The Senators enactment has, and volition proceed to follow, each recommended guidelines aimed astatine protecting the wellness and information of its players, unit and assemblage astatine ample arsenic acceptable by the NHL, local, provincial and nationalist agencies,” the league said successful a statement.

Neither the NFL nor the NBA has had to postpone a crippled truthful acold this fall. Major League Baseball had 9 virus-related postponements among 2,430 scheduled games, down from 45 successful past year’s shortened 900-game schedule.

The NHL postponed 51 games for microorganism reasons during its past regular season.

The league and Players’ Association person until Jan. 10 to retreat from the 2022 Winter Olympics if pandemic circumstances unit the cancellation of truthful galore games that a astir three-week interruption successful February is not feasible. The NHL was inactive looking astatine erstwhile to reschedule the Senators’ games against the Devils, Predators and Rangers.

Ottawa canceled signifier Monday to effort and incorporate the outbreak, aft guardant Drake Batherson became the astir caller Senators subordinate to spell into protocol. Besides the 10 players, subordinate manager Jack Capuano besides is successful protocol.

“The wellness and information of the section community, the venue’s patrons and the organization’s unit and players is Senators Sports & Entertainment’s highest priority,” the squad said.

A fistful of different NHL teams person been deed by COVID-19 this season, including Pittsburgh and San Jose. Penguins prima Sidney Crosby returned Sunday aft an lack of much than 10 days due to the fact that of the virus. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon besides missed clip past period aft investigating positive, though helium was asymptomatic.

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AP Baseball Writer Ron Blum and The Canadian Press contributed.