The Bruins hit their first COVID-related disruption of the season this week when their games originally scheduled for this Saturday and Monday against Buffalo were postponed due to the Sabres' COVID issues. Buffalo currently has four players on the COVID-19 list, and coach Ralph Krueger also tested positive.
The Sabres are one of four teams to experience an outbreak this week, as the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche have all had multiple games postponed through the weekend as well.
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show Friday morning, Bruins center Sean Kuraly acknowledged it's hard not to notice and think about what's happening around the league.
"It has definitely crept in," Kuraly said. "We haven't had an effect yet, but now we're affected by Buffalo in our next two games after tonight. So that's kind of the first effect. Now you're starting to think, OK, we have this big game in Lake Tahoe in a couple weeks, and these situations are situations that can last a couple weeks.
"We're trying to be really careful. We want to play our games. We think we're playing well. We want to keep playing. Every team does, there's no question about that. But that's something that creeps in your head."
The NHL is implementing new protocols beginning Friday, including the removal of the glass behind the bench to improve air circulation, all game-day meetings being conducted virtually, and players being encouraged to arrive to games a little later so they're not spending as much time in the arena.
