Bruins games on March 20 and 23 have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols

The NHL announced this afternoon that the Bruins' next two games, March 20 vs. Buffalo and March 23 vs. the New York Islanders, have been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Yesterday's morning skate was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols, and for a while, the game looked in doubt; instead, the teams played, and here we are.

From the league:

The National Hockey League announced today, that as a result of four additional Boston Bruins Players entering the NHL’s COVID Protocols earlier today, the team’s games tomorrow against the Buffalo Sabres and Tuesday versus the New York Islanders will be postponed. Pending test results in the coming days, it is expected that the Bruins will be able to re-open their facilities for practice on Wednesday, March 24. The decision was made by the League’s, NHLPA’s and Club’s medical groups.

Big yikes.

The Bruins already had Sean Kuraly on the COVID-19 list, and have now added four additional players.

While we did see some false positives in recent weeks, it seems unlikely (though possible, of course) to have five false positives in the span of two days.

Obviously the health and wellness of all parties involved are the paramount concerns here, but this begs the question: why did they play the game last night at all, potentially putting more players (including Buffalo players) at risk?

It's possible that rapid tests came back clean and everyone felt good to go, but it seems like playing it safe would have been the better route.

Of course, it's easier to say that in hindsight, but...another tough COVID situation involving the Sabres, who certainly have the right to question how the NHL is handling all of this.

No word yet on when the games will be played.