(Photo credit: NHL.com)

By: Andrew Taverna | Follow me on Twitter: @andrewtaverna

The NHL has announced that the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have postponed their Saturday, December 18th matchup. The game does not have a new date yet, but this is a good decision given all of the recent COVID issues surrounding the team.

Last night’s loss to the New York Islanders might have stung for Bruins fans because it was a team that looked lost without their leadership, but what would have stung even more was if the Bruins organization had continued to play games that perpetuated the seamlessly never-ending spread of covid around the NHL. With folks like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in the covid protocol, it was becoming increasingly likely you were going to see this team struggle over the next five games. Still, on top of that, the already depleted team would be headed over the US / Canadian border right before the holidays and what would have happened had more team members tested positive remains unclear. At the end of the day, canceling this game should have been the league’s only option, and now they’ve done that.

Chaos In Decision Making

Yesterday, per the reporting of Elliot Friedman and others, it became public knowledge that the Colorado Avalanche had been asked whether they had wanted to play their game after multiple players had tested positive. The Avalanche, given the option, decided to play the game. Asked during his media availability during the postgame last night, Cassidy indicated that, to his knowledge, no one had given them that same choice of whether or not they would play. The inconsistency displayed here leads to more chaos in an already chaotic situation with over 70+ players and staff in protocol around the league.

Ultimately, it would appear the Bruins have postponed one game, and if positive tests keep coming, I’d imagine you will see more follow suit, including the game in Ottowa before the holiday break.