More Canucks games postponed due to COVID-19 surge, NHL announces

Two more Vancouver Canucks games have been postponed as the NHL works to deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases among its players.

The Canucks' scheduled games against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday and the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday have been postponed as part of a suspension of all games between Canadian and American clubs from Dec. 20 to 23.

Sunday's announcement follows the postponement of two home games the Canucks were scheduled to play this weekend, against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday.

The Leafs matchup was suspended roughly five hours before puck drop, leaving many fans who travelled from outside Vancouver for the game disappointed.

On Saturday, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford told reporters that no decision had been made about the games later in the week, and suggested that the league wanted to "get through the weekend" before making a call about those games.

Sunday's announcement from the league and the players' union cited concern about cross-border travel and "the fluid nature of federal travel restrictions" as reasons for the postponement of games between Canadian and U.S.-based teams.

The joint announcement expressed an intention to continue to play the 2021-22 regular season schedule, saying that despite the recent increase in positive tests among players, coaches and staff, there have been a low number of cases resulting in concerning symptoms or serious illness.

"Therefore, the NHLPA’s and NHL’s medical experts have determined that, with virtually all players and club hockey staff fully vaccinated, the need to temporarily shut down individual teams should continue to be made on a case-by-case basis," the statement reads.

A total of 27 games had been postponed due to COVID-19 this season as of Sunday, and at least 12 more will now be postponed through Dec. 23.

Against this backdrop, the league and players' union said they expected to be in a position to announce a final decision on participation in the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing soon.

"With the number one priority of maintaining the health and safety of our NHL community, and amid changing and unpredictable conditions, we are determined to remain flexible and adaptable both in terms of scheduling and in adjusting protocols as necessary," the statement concludes.

As of Saturday, the Canucks had seven people on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list, including defencemen Tyler Myers, Brad Hunt, Tucker Poolman and Luke Schenn, forwards Tyler Motte and Juho Lammikko, and assistant coach Jason King.

Rutherford said Saturday that some in the group had "very mild" symptoms, and the team was awaiting the results of more tests.

The NHL has said the Omicron variant is responsible for the uptick in cases league-wide.

In B.C., Omicron is expected to overtake the Delta variant in the coming weeks. On Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry introduced new restrictions - including limits on gatherings and capacity caps for venues holding more than 1,000 people - in response to a surge in infections in the province.

The restrictions are scheduled to be in place through Jan. 31, meaning that if the Canucks end up playing home games between now and then, they'll have to do so with 50 per cent capacity.

As of Saturday, the team had not indicated how it planned to deal with the capacity restrictions, though Rutherford said he expected season ticket holders would be given the first opportunity to attend capacity-restricted games, with those holding single-game tickets more likely to be shut out.

With files from The Canadian Press