When the 2021-22 NHL schedule was made, a three-week break was slotted into February as a way to accommodate the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Now that gamers formally won’t attend as a result of rise in COVID-19 circumstances all through the league, plus probably being quarantined in China for 5 weeks ought to they check optimistic, the NHL will shift its focus to rescheduling the postponed video games.
Many arenas have already got issues booked all through these three weeks, so scheduling may get tough. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported the schedule maker will “ask all 32 golf equipment for up to date constructing dates, significantly for that three-week hole in February. Some buildings had gone forward and booked non-NHL occasions like concert events for that interval however there’s nonetheless some dates to work with.”
For a group just like the Boston Bruins, who’ve had video games postponed and might want to make them up alongside the way in which, they will must work round what TD Backyard has obtainable. Between Feb. 6 and 22 there are eight days with nothing on the books, so there may be some flexibility.
Nevertheless, not each NHL group has had video games postponed.
“And it is not nearly re-scheduling postponed video games in that three-week interval but additionally transferring different video games round from groups that really weren’t affected but by cancellations in order that these groups have video games to play as nicely throughout that February interval,” LeBrun tweeted.
The NHL shut down groups down by means of the vacation break, with operations set to renew Dec. 27.