The NHL is trying to play a truncated, 56-game regular season amid the COVID-19 pandemic outside of quarantined bubbles, unlike this summer’s return-to-play postseason when the league went three months without any personnel testing positive.
So, Friday’s news that the Dallas Stars’ schedule has already been affected with six players and two staff members testing positive and a significant portion of the Columbus Blue Jackets’ training camp roster being unable to participate for cautionary reasons did not come as a shock to the Islanders.
"It’s such a fluid situation," defenseman Scott Mayfield said after the Islanders’ fourth day of practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.