Blue Jackets, Canadiens shut down, 10 of 32 NHL teams paused

By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer

More than a quarter of NHL teams have been shut down through at least the weekend because of the pandemic. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators became the latest to pause all activities because of several positive COVID-19 test results among players. A total of 43 games have been postponed this season for coronavirus-related reasons after the Devils-Penguins game that had been scheduled for Tuesday joined the list. More than 15% of the league’s players are in coronavirus protocol. The spread of delta and omicron variants across North America has led the NHL to postpone all cross-border games through the Christmas break and made Olympic participation unlikely.