Due to a high number of Ottawa Senators players currently testing positive for COVID-19, the NHL will reportedly postpone the team’s next three games. Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, Thursday’s game against the Nashville Predators and Saturday’s upcoming home game against the New York Rangers will all be postponed due to the outbreak, according to TSN.
The Senators have reportedly already canceled their flight to New Jersey for the game that was set for Tuesday. The three games are the first to be postponed due to a COVID-19 in the 2021-22 season, ESPN reported.
The total number of positive COVID-19 cases among Senators is now at 10.
- Goaltender Matt Murray
- Defensemen Nikita Zaitsev, Josh Brown, Victor Mete and Nick Holden
- Forwards Austin Watson, Connor Brown, Dylan Gambrell, Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton
The team has canceled four straight practices. When the number of players in the COVID-19 protocol was up to nine, Senators coach D.J. Smith commented on continuing to play.
“All you can do is just keep playing. We want to get a win to get everyone feeling good. It’s not the ideal situation, but no one feels bad for you in this league,” he said. “We’re privileged to play and be in the NHL and we’re going to go out there and give it all we’ve got.”
But at this point, the NHL has deemed it unsafe for the Senators to continue playing other teams. There is no word on when the Senators will return to practice or resume playing games.
