The Vegas Golden Knights have 3 games postponed and rescheduled due to three coaches, one taxi squad player, and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo entering into the NHL’s covid-19 protocols. The team has not been on the ice since last week Tuesday’s shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues. They will resume full practice this Wednesday at City National Arena.
The Games
- Jan 28: STL @ VGK now scheduled for Mar 22 at 7pm PT
- Feb 01: VGK @ San Jose now scheduled for Feb 13 at 1pm PT
- Feb 03: VGK @ San Jose now scheduled for Feb 25 at 7:30pm PT
- Feb 26: VGK @ Anaheim now scheduled for April 23 at 7pm PT (NHL schedule alteration)
The NHL 2020-2021 season is a compressed 56 game schedule, there will be an eight day window at the end of the season to push the playoffs back if needed. The League will try not to push back the Stanley Cup Playoffs but are weary of all the possible schedule adjustments. What could come into question are postponed games that will not be able to be rescheduled, will that give any franchises in unfair advantage and possibly affect playoff positioning and even berths?
The Updates
The Knights have not had any positive covid-19 results in the past four days as an organization, including the staff and players that were in protocol. VGK GM Kelly McCrimmon spoke to the media on Monday with the latest.
“We’re pleased to say that those people [who tested positive] are all healthy and doing well,” McCrimmon said. “We’ve now had four days of all negative tests, which is encouraging. Our expectation is to continue this week as scheduled with games against Los Angeles this weekend.”
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon
Vegas begins practicing again on Wednesday and will be back on the T-Mobile Arena ice this Thursday in preparation for their next scheduled game against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday Feb 5.
Defensemen Brayden McNabb has been designated to long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury. This will rule him out for at least the next 10 games and he is expected back late February. Hopefully he will be able to play the NHL Outdoors game at Lake Tahoe versus the Colorado Avalanche on Feb 20. His game absence will be felt, especially if Alex Pietrangelo happens to miss any time from covid-19 protocols. The Knights will platoon Zach Whitecloud, Nick Holden and Dylan Coghlan on defense which was a team strength but is now strained.
The Vegas Golden Knights were on a hot 5-1-1 start after a shortened offseason and training camp, now after a loss they find themselves with no ice time or conditioning at the teams facilities for a week. Las Vegas versus Los Angeles, who are you betting on this Friday?
Image Credits: Vegas Golden Knights @GoldenKnights / VegasGoldenKnights.com (2021, Jan 29). Golden Knights-Sharks Games February 1 & 3 Postponed. Retrieved Jan 31, 2021, from https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/golden-knights-sharks-games-february-1–3-postponed/c-320860888
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