On Tuesday, the National Hockey League announced that the Buffalo Sabers will postpone its season until at least February 8 due to problems with the COVID-19. Two team players entered the NHL’s COVID protocols, so the league, NHLPA and the team’s medical groups made the decision to pause the game.
They will analyze the test results in the coming days.
According reports, the Sabers believe that playing against the New Jersey Devils, who also interrupted their season, is to blame for their own closure. This means that they believe there was a transmission on the ice.
The Sabers spoke to the NHLPA ahead of Sunday’s game about their concerns about the game and the problems with the COVID-19 currently in the league.
In the statement on the break, the league wrote:
“The Sabers organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines designed to protect the health and safety of its players, team and community in general, as established by the NHL, local, state and national agencies.”
As a result of the season break, the team’s facilities closed until further notice. There is no set timetable for when the facility will open at this time.
Pausing the game can mean problems with the schedule, so the league is trying to make changes to its current game board. The NHL is expected to make a decision on next week’s games in the coming days.
They are not the first team to have their season postponed due to problems with COVID-19. On Monday, the league announced that the New Jersey Devils will not play until at least Saturday, February 6, because of an increase in COVID’s absences.