Two Ottawa Senators home games postponed as NHL halts cross-border travel
![Senators winning goal Feb 23 2021 Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris (9) celebrates his game winning shoot-out goal against the Montreal Canadiens with teammates during NHL action in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2021/2/24/senators-winning-goal-feb-23-2021-1-5322175-1639951823551.jpg)
Two Ottawa Senators home games are being postponed because of a temporary pause on cross-border travel in the National Hockey League.
The NHL and the NHL Players' Assocation say from Monday through the start of the holiday break on Thursday, all games involving a Canadian team playing an American team would be postponed and rescheduled because of concerns about cross-border travel and the "fluid nature of federal travel restrictions."
This includes two games at the Canadian Tire Centre—Tuesday's game against St. Louis and Thursday's game against Carolina.
Sunday's game against the Boston Bruins was previously postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases within the Bruins organization. The league also postponed this week's Nashville Predators games and Saturday and Sunday's games involving Toronto and Vancouver.
In all, 21 games from Monday to Thursday are being postponed either due to COVID-19 or because of the pause on cross-border travel.
No new dates for any of the games have been announced.
Two previously postponed Ottawa games, which were rescheduled because of the Senators' COVID-19 case count at the time, still have no new dates, according to the NHL. Ottawa was to host Nashville on Nov. 18 and the New York Rangers on Nov. 20, but both games have been pushed back to a time yet to be announced.
The league also said Sunday that the 2021-22 regular season would continue.
"Although there has been a recent increase in positive COVID test results among players, coaches and hockey staff, there have been a low number of positive cases that have resulted in concerning symptoms or serious illness," the NHL said in a press release. "Therefore, the NHLPA’s and NHL’s medical experts have determined that, with virtually all players and club hockey staff fully vaccinated, the need to temporarily shut down individual teams should continue to be made on a case-by-case basis."
The Senators announced Monday that the team would not practice again until after the NHL's Christmas break.
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