The NHL is going ahead with Thursday’s game between the Oilers and Canadiens, per Sportsnet‘s Mark Spector, after it was pushed back from 7 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET to allow for contact tracing and the completion of Edmonton’s test results after forward Jesse Puljujarvi was added to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol list.
The Oilers began their current road trip against the Calgary Flames on Feb. 6. The team practised Thursday morning in preparation for their game vs. Montreal and were last in action against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
Currently, the NHL’s testing approach involves players and personnel taking one PCR test per day. However, because the tests must be processed in a laboratory, the turnaround time on receiving a result is slower than other means of testing. The NHL has been looking to increase the rate of rapid tests around the league.
A total of 35 games have been postponed in the NHL so far this season, however, teams in the North Division have not had their schedule interrupted yet.
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