The San Jose Sharks’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights scheduled for Thursday night has been postponed after a Sharks player entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols.
It’s the 36th NHL game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues; it is the 40th counting the Texas snowstorm that affected Dallas.
The Sharks’ facilities have been closed. The team canceled practice Wednesday but said that decision and the postponement “was made out of an abundance of caution.”
The NHL had a season-low eight players on its COVID-19 protocol list Tuesday, five of them from Philadelphia. That’s down from a season high of 59 just 11 days ago.
The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens remain perfect so far this season, as neither team has had a player put on the list.
The St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs each have had a player added to the COVID-19 list over the past few days, bringing the total number of players who have spent at least one day on it to 126.
Both the Sharks and Golden Knights will eventually need that game in their respective playoff pushes. Entering Wednesday, Vegas, with 23 points, was in first place in the West Division, while San Jose, with 16 points, was just three points out of the No. 4 spot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.