The National Hockey League (NHL) has postponed two games of New York Islanders on Sunday for coronavirus-related reasons, making it five games to be called off so far this season. The Islanders were set to face the New York Rangers on Sunday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. 

The postponement was announced after additional members of the team went into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Saturday. General manager Lou Lamoriello said forward Casey Cizikas became the latest player to test positive. The Islanders would have had as many as eight players unavailable, the Associated Press reported.

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The league stated that the likelihood of more spread resulted in the Islanders’ games being postponed until at least Tuesday. Cizikas was placed in protocol with captain Anders Lee, fellow forwards Ross Johnston and Kieffer Bellows, and defenseman Zdeno Chara, Adam Pelech, and Andy Greene, with winger Josh Bailey only recently resuming skating after being confined.

Lamoriello announced just a few days ago that none of the players who had tested positive for the illness had tested negative, clearing the route for them to return. Three days of negative testing would be required to restore team training facilities and restart play. COVID-19 has been immunised against by the whole Islanders team.

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In mid-November, the NHL postponed three Ottawa Senators games due to the team’s viral epidemic. One of those games has been rescheduled for Dec. 6 against the New Jersey Devils.

Since restarting the play, Ottawa has gone 0-3-0, and goalkeeper Matt Murray was placed on waivers on Saturday. Murray’s first start since being activated off the COVID-19 list was a defeat on Wednesday, when he conceded four goals on 27 shots.

When the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association decided to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the league and the NHL Players’ Association included a clause stating that they may withdraw if a pandemic occurred. It would take a large number of postponements to cause the NHL/NHLPA to withdraw from the season, which would necessitate the use of the 2 1/2-week Olympic break in February to make up games.

With inputs from the Associated Press