David Pastrnak Among Four Bruins Players Added To COVID-19 Protocol

The NHL announced Friday that the Boston Bruins’ next two games — Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres and Tuesday against the New York Islanders — have been postponed due to four players joining Sean Kuraly in the league’s COVID-19 protocol.

The NHL’s official website since has identified those players as David Pastrnak, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk and Craig Smith.

No makeup dates for the postponed games have been announced, but it’s expected the Bruins will reopen their facilities for practice on Wednesday, pending test results in the coming days.

Kuraly entered the COVID-19 protocol before Thursday night’s game in Buffalo, forcing both the Bruins and Sabres to cancel their morning skates. The game went on as scheduled, though, and the B’s won 4-1.

Now, the teams won’t return to the ice in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. Nor will the Bruins welcome the Islanders to TD Garden on Tuesday night for what would have marked the beginning of an eight-game homestand for Boston.

The Bruins’ next game on the schedule, as of now, is Thursday, March 25, against the Islanders. The B’s then are slated to host the Sabres for a matinee game next Saturday, March 27.

Ironically, Tuesday’s game was supposed to be the first this season with fans in attendance at TD Garden.