Blues-Avs Postponed
Jim Thomas: This weekend’s games between the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche have been postponed because of COVID issues with the Avalanche.
Have heard that the Blues are looking to have games scheduled with the Arizona Coyotes.
New safety measures and a statement from Bettman
NHL.com: The NHL adds more safety measures as the COVID Protocol list grows and more games are postponed.
“With about 20 percent of our season played, we are mindful of the fact that we might be seeing a more aggressive transmission of the virus and will continue to make adjustments to our Protocols as we consult on a daily basis with, and adhere to, the recommendations of our medical advisors,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said. “It is important to note that, while we have seen almost 100 players enter our COVID Protocols, fewer than half have done so because of confirmed positive tests – and, among that group, many have not been symptomatic. Our priority has been and will continue to be to act conservatively with an abundance of caution, understanding that there are many things about the transmission of COVID-19 that are still being discovered. As a result, we won’t hesitate to take additional measures as indicated by what we are learning and as directed by our medical advisers.”
New measures include the removal of glass behind the bench, limitation of time at the arena (one hour and 45 minutes before), physical distancing in team spaces (creating extra dressing rooms if possible), and air filtration and air cleaning (on the players’ benches).
Sabres coach tests positive
John Shannon: Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger has tested positive for COVID.
Statement on why the Sabres – Devils game that went on
John Vogl: NHLPA senior director of communications Jonathan Weatherdon when asked about New Jersey Devils Kyle Palmieri being placed on the COVID Protocol Absence list, then the Devils – Buffalo Sabres game was played on Sunday. The Sabres are now shut down as well. Statement:
“The medical advisors from the NHL and NHLPA are in daily contact during this ongoing pandemic. As you would have seen this afternoon, the sides have made further revisions to the protocols. As part of the medical advisors’ role, they consult on whether games should go forward and whether facilities should remain open if there is a possible COVID-19 outbreak in an NHL team. They make these determinations based on the information available to them. While there is daily PCR testing in place, the sides are already using point of care testing to supplement our daily testing and are working toward obtaining supplies of such tests to be used on a more regular basis. It is important to note that there are currently supply issues that are impacting the availability of these tests.
Regarding transmission of COVID-19, we do not currently have evidence of cross-team transmission, but we are still learning a lot about this virus including its new variants.”
