Islanders Set to Resume Season After COVID-19 Pause
The New York Islanders are back, baby.
After having their last two games postponed in response to a COVID-19 outbreak that swept through the team, causing seven players to land in the league's protocols, the Islanders have officially been given the green light by the NHL to resume their season on Thursday night versus the San Jose Sharks.
According to the league, the team's two postponed games will be played at a yet-to-be-determined time.
Getting back on the ice is some exceedingly good news for an Islanders team that was absolutely devastated by the virus over the past few weeks. Of the seven players who ended up in the NHL's COVID-19 protocols prior to their last scheduled game, five returned to Islanders' practice on Wednesday afternoon, with defenseman Zdeno Chara and forward Casey Cizikas the only remaining players still unavailable.
It's a nice bright spot in what has been a nightmare start to the season for the Islanders, who began the year with 13 straight road games due to ongoing construction to their new arena, and, prior to the pause, had lost eight consecutive games by a total score of 32-7.
Needless to say, getting the majority of their key contributors back from the COVID list is a much-needed break.
