NHL postpones Bruins-Canadiens amid Covid concerns
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New York (AFP) – The NHL said Friday it was postponing a game Saturday between the Boston Bruins and the Canadiens in Montreal because of Covid-19 concerns.
Boston have six players in the league's coronavirus protocol. Goalie Jeremy Swayman and forwards Anton Blidh and Trent Frederic were placed into protocol Thursday, after forwards Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Craig Smith were sidelined earlier inthe week.
The Canadiens won 3-2 in a shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday at their Bell Centre arena, where the game was played without fans at the request of Quebec public health officials worried about the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
"Today was a bit of a wake-up call," Canadiens forward Jonathan Drouin said Thursday. "We weren't expecting that there wouldn't be fans in the stands this year with the vaccines. We were told the opposite, but it's tough to see that again without the fans' energy. After that, health and safety is more important than going to watch a hockey game."
The Bruins next scheduled game is at Ottawa on Sunday.
Saturday's fixture was the 11th to be postponed this season. That includes four Calgary games postponed as the Flames deal with a Covid outbreak that has seen seven players and 10 other team staff members entering Covid protocols.
© 2021 AFP