6:59 PM
The NHL will not start its regular season until Tuesday.
Due to the number of players and teams impacted by COVID-19, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to begin their holiday break last Wednesday. The original plan was to start games on Monday.
The slate of games scheduled for Monday has been canceled. The first "Battle of Alberta" of the season will be between the Flames and the Oilers, two of the league's fiercest rivals.
The NHL said that the target date for game play to resume will be pushed back an additional day because of an adequate opportunity to analyze League-wide testing results and to assess clubs' readiness to play.
The NHL is expected to update its return-to-play plans by Sunday night, as teams will return to practice on Sunday. The NHL brought back daily testing and masks for players who have been shot.
There have been 64 postponements on the season. The NHL and NHLPA agreed this week not to allow players to participate in the Beijing Olympics, so the break could be used to fulfill the regular-season schedule.
