NHL postpones Canucks games through April 6 due to COVID-19 protocols

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Thursday announcement by the NHL comes a day after Vancouver’s game against the Calgary Flames was postponed because two Canucks players and a member of the coaching staff were entered into the league’s COVID protocol.

Pending test results in the coming days, the NHL says it is expected that the Canucks will be able to return to game action April 8, with no practices before April 6.

The decision was made by the NHL’s, NHLPA’s and club’s medical groups.

BREAKING: NHL postpones the next three #Canucks games. @NEWS1130 https://t.co/SEKnOtvkUC

— Adam Forsythe (@adamforsythe) April 1, 2021

Including Wednesday’s Canucks-Flames matchup, Vancouver will have four games in total postponed — one against the Edmonton Oilers and two against the Winnipeg Jets.

Canucks forward Adam Gaudette, who was pulled from Tuesday’s practice following a positive test result, was added to the NHL’s protocol list that afternoon.

Defenceman Travis Hamonic was added to the protocol list on Thursday.

A player on the COVID-19 protocol list has not necessarily tested positive.

Canucks head coach Travis Green would not say following Wednesday’s morning skate if Gaudette had tested positive for a variant.

Related article: Vancouver Canucks start April with degree of uncertainty due to COVID-19 cases

The league’s protocols require players and staff to be tested daily. Any time an individual’s initial test comes back positive, the lab does a second test on the initial sample.

If the second test is negative, a second sample is collected. But if that sample returns a positive result, it’s considered to be a “confirmed positive.”

The league requires individuals with positive tests to self isolate for 10 days, and for close contacts to self isolate for two weeks.

The NHL’s truncated 56-game schedule has now seen 45 contests postponed — with the first 37 coming in the three U.S.-based divisions — because of COVID-19.