NHL extends season delay to at least Tuesday, postponing Battle of Alberta and 13 other games

The NHL will wait another day before returning from a league-wide pause for the season. On Saturday, the league announced plans to extend the delay to at least Tuesday, as games were originally scheduled to resume on Monday.

In one statement, the NHL said the extra match day would “allow the Federation an appropriate opportunity to analyze the test results across the League and assess the readiness of the Clubs, the target date for resuming play.” The game will be pushed back by one day.”

Teams will resume practice on Sunday, and the tournament is reported is expected to release updated competitive return plans later that night.

Earlier this week, The NHL and NHL Players’ Associations have agreed to suspend the season from December 22 to December 26 as Many teams handle the COVID-19 outbreak. In the wake of the league-wide delay, 11 teams have halted the season individually because of coronavirus concerns.

With the season pushed back by one day, 14 games scheduled to take place on Monday will be postponed, including the Battle of Alberta match between the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. The league has now postponed 64 games this season.

Citing that schedule disruption, NHL announced that it will not send players to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The league will use that time to reschedule postponed matches in hopes of completing a full 82-match schedule.

Teams will operate under stricter COVID-19 protocols when they return. The protocols – which will be followed through January 7 – include daily checks for players and coaches, measures to improve social distancing and player travel restrictions.