Morning Skate: Out of office

It’s another off day for the Bruins, with a match-up with the New York Rangers looming tomorrow.

The B’s got news about another off day yesterday, with the league announcing that next week’s game against the New Jersey Devils has been postponed due to COVID-19 complications.

The Devils have been dealing with a COVID situation for nearly two weeks now; they also appear to have dragged the Buffalo Sabres into a similar situation too (or vice versa, depending on who you believe).

The Sabres now have nine players on the COVID list, plus their coach. The Minnesota Wild also have nine players on the COVID list, and expect to add more.

At this point, it seems like about a third of the league has had outbreaks that have required adjustments to the schedule.

Given the increasing concern about new, more contagious variants, it’s hard to imagine the situation getting better before it gets worse.

So...yeah. Enjoy it while it’s here, wear your mask, and keep your distance.

Today’s highlight

A few people were making Ray Bourque comparisons after Tom Brady won a Super Bowl for Tampa Bay on Sunday evening, though the situations are obviously very different.

Still, it’s a good reason to revisit an old Bourque highlight!

Today’s discussion topic

What’s your level of confidence in the NHL being able to continue the season without a league-wide interruption?