Arizona Coyotes have 5th postponement, will play Stars at later date

The Arizona Coyotes’ matchup with the Dallas Stars on Sunday has been postponed, the team announced Thursday.

The postponement marks the fifth for the Coyotes but the first since the NHL resumed its season on Tuesday after pausing from Dec. 22-27.

Arizona lost to the Sharks 8-7 on Tuesday in its first game after the break.

The NHL’s release said that Sunday’s game being moved is due to COVID-19 issues for the Stars. This is familiar territory for the Coyotes, as their two other postponements on Dec. 19 and 21 before the pause were also because of the other teams’ problems with COVID-19.

The NHL on Wednesday said it is following other leagues and U.S. government guidance by cutting COVID-19 isolation times for players and personnel to five days under certain conditions and where it is allowed by local laws.

The change went into effect Wednesday and applies only in the U.S. because of stricter pandemic regulations in Canada. The league has 25 teams based in the U.S. and seven in Canada; earlier this week, the NHL postponed nine games in Canada because of attendance limits imposed by provincial governments.

The league and NHL Players’ Association agreed to the updated protocols, which apply for the next two weeks before they are reviewed.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

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