The Carolina Hurricanes will have to wait at least three more days before returning to the ice.
The NHL announced Monday that the team’s home game Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning has been postponed, and the league rescheduled that game and three others that have previously been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak on the Hurricanes. Carolina’s home game Thursday against the Lightning is, at least for now, still on the schedule.
The changes to the Hurricanes’ schedule are:
- The postponed Jan. 19 game at Nashville is now March 2 at 8 p.m.
- The postponed Jan. 21 home game vs. Florida is now Feb. 17 at 5 p.m.
- The postponed Jan. 23 home game vs. Florida is now March 7 at 5 p.m.
- The postponed Jan. 26 home game vs. Tampa Bay is now Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.
- The Feb. 16 home game vs. Columbus has been moved to Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
- The Feb. 22 at Tampa Bay has been moved to Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.
The NHL also moved the Florida at Tampa Bay game scheduled for Feb. 16 to Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
As planned, the Hurricanes and the league avoided scheduling three games in three nights, and the only real thing that stands out from the reworked schedule is three games in four nights against the Lightning from March 22-25. Carolina will also have back-to-back road games with travel with the game at Nashville moved to March 2. The Hurricanes are in Sunrise, Florida, to play on the Panthers on March 1.
Carolina has had six players on the league’s COVID-19 protocol list this season, starting with captain Jordan Staal before the team’s second game of the season on Jan. 16 followed by four more players — Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Teuvo Teravainen — ahead of the scheduled Jan. 19 game at Nashville. Jesper Fast was added to the list Saturday.
