NHL clears Islanders to return to action after two games postponed due to COVID-19

NEW YORK – The New York Islanders have been cleared to resume playing after two of their recent games were postponed due to COVID-19.

The NHL postponed the Islanders’ games Sunday against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden and Tuesday at Philadelphia after an eighth player entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol, joining a list that included captain Anders Lee and top scorer Josh Bailey.

The Islanders next play Thursday against visiting San Jose.

The NHL said it is in the process of revising the Islanders’ regular season schedule, which will be announced when completed.

The Islanders are the second team to have games postponed this season due to COVID-19 protocols. An outbreak on the Ottawa Senators led the postponement of their three games last week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly had the Islanders returning Saturday at Detroit, instead of Thursday against San Jose.