Bruins vs. Canadiens Postponed Due to COVID-19 Issues

The NHL announced Friday that Saturday's game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens has been postponed.

Boston had seven players and one staff member in the league's COVID-19 protocols as of Thursday night.

No make-up date for Saturday's contest, which was slated to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, was immediately established.

The Bruins played Thursday's game against the New York Islanders as scheduled. They suffered a 3-1 loss.

Boston winger Nick Foligno didn't mince words when asked about what the team went through leading up to the clash with the Isles.

"It's been a nightmare, to be honest with you," Foligno told reporters.

Meanwhile, Habs winger Jonathan Drouin raised concerns about playing the B's amid their COVID-19 outbreak.

"That's a tough question to answer, but I wouldn't be that comfortable playing with guys who might have COVID or against a team that's had seven cases; tomorrow morning there might be three more or two more, we don't know," Drouin said Thursday. "I don't feel comfortable playing with that. It's not what we were told this year with the vaccines and all that. For sure, things change in times like this, but it's really not ideal."

The Bruins aren't the only team going through coronavirus issues. The Calgary Flames had their past four games postponed with 18 players and three coaches in the protocols.

It's also an issue that extends beyond the NHL with the NFL, NBA and England's Premier League among the numerous sports entities dealing with a surge of COVID-19 cases.

For now, Boston's road game against the Ottawa Senators remains scheduled for Sunday.

Montreal is slated to begin a six-game road trip Monday when it visits the Islanders.