NHL expected to postpone games until Saturday

Less than 24 hours after the NBA was forced to postpone playoff games due to a player boycott, the NHL will be doing the same.

The NBA, among other leagues, boycotted Wednesday’s games in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. In a sign of solidarity, the NHL will postpone Thursday’s two playoff games and are expected to postpone both of Friday’s games as well. On Thursday afternoon, Sharks forward @Evander Kane tweeted that the Hockey Diversity Alliance formally requested the NHL to suspend all playoff games on Thursday.

“We strongly feel this sends a clear message that human rights take priority over sports,” Kane added in the tweet.

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said that “more than 100 players” in the bubble reached out to Kane and Matt Dumba and that this was a “players-led initiative.”

Nothing has officially been announced but it seems likely that the playoff schedule will simply be pushed back two days. That would mean the @Philadelphia Flyers and @New York Islanders as well as the @Vegas Golden Knights and @Vancouver Canucks will meet for their respective Game 3’s on Saturday.