The game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on Wednesday and the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday and Friday are the latest impacted by COVID-19.
Makeup dates for those games will be announced at a later date.
Of the 70 games postponed, one has been made up (the Ottawa Senators defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in the shootout Dec. 6 in a game initially scheduled for Nov. 16) and one has been rescheduled (the New York Rangers will host the New York Islanders on March 17 in a game initially scheduled for Nov. 28).
The NHL is set to resume play after the holiday break with three games Tuesday: the Montreal Canadiens at the Tampa Bay Lightning (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, TSN2, RDS), the Vegas Golden Knights at the Los Angeles Kings (10:30 p.m. ET; BSW, ATTSN-RM, ESPN+, NHL LIVE), and the Arizona Coyotes at the San Jose Sharks (10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, NHL LIVE).
The Blackhawks are next scheduled to play at the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and the Jets are to visit the Calgary Flames on Friday. The Stars are scheduled to visit the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday, when the Avalanche are scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks.
The NHL announced Dec. 22 its players would not participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics because of the disruption to the regular-season schedule caused by COVID-19 postponements. It had scheduled a break in the regular season from Feb. 3-22 to accommodate the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and the Olympics. All-Star Weekend remains scheduled as planned, with the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills presented by DraftKings Sportsbook on Feb. 4 and the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5.
"Our focus and goal have been and must remain to responsibly and safely complete the entirety of the NHL regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs in a timely manner," NHL Commissioner Bettman said Dec. 22. "Therefore, with stringent health protocols once again in place, we will begin utilizing available dates during the Feb. 6-22 window (originally contemplated to accommodate Olympic participation) to reschedule games that have been, or may yet be, postponed."
The NHL and NHL Players' Association agreed Sunday to allow teams
to have a taxi squad
with a maximum of six players available to be added to the roster to minimize the chance for further game postponements or teams having to play shorthanded.
