Due to COVID-19 protocols impacting other teams, the Buffalo Sabres’ next three games have been postponed. The Sabres are currently scheduled to return to action next Monday, December 27 against the New York Islanders.
An increasing number of players have entered the NHL’s COVID protocols over the last few days, pushing more & more teams into pauses across the league. The league also postponed all cross-border games through December 23.
On Sunday, three Columbus Blue Jackets players entered protocol. The Sabres cancelled their morning skate on Monday (no health issues), and the Blue Jackets cancelled theirs as they awaited testing & results.
Columbus was originally slated to skate at home around 10 AM, then fly to Buffalo later in the day. The Sabres’ next two games were supposed to be against the Blue Jackets; both have now been postponed, along with the December 22 game against the Colorado Avalanche that was already postponed last week.
Unfortunately, that means we’ll have to wait an extra week to see the Sabres debut of Alex Tuch. On the plus side – knock on wood – the Sabres don’t appear to be having any COVID issues of their own, with only Dustin Tokarski recently in protocol.
The COVID situation in the NHL is rapidly changing; stay tuned for more updates.