Lightning hope to get back on schedule after postponement

BRANDON — The Lightning knew Saturday’s game in Denver might be postponed because of a COVID outbreak affecting the Avalanche, but they didn’t receive official word until they were boarding the charter flight on Friday.

Welcome to today’s NHL, where COVID is running rampant, forcing changes minute to minute.

The postponement left the Lightning with what coach Jon Cooper called an unanticipated but needed day off Saturday before a quick practice Sunday at the Ice Sports Forum prior to a flight to Las Vegas for Tuesday’s game against the Golden Knights.

After emerging from the 2020 playoff bubble and last season’s abbreviated and protocol-filled campaign with Stanley Cup championships, the Lightning are used to adapting. Though they haven’t been directly affected by the wave of COVID cases that have infiltrated many NHL locker rooms, the uncertainty is unsettling.

“The most frustrating part of everything is just games getting canceled,” said Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh. “It brings back hard memories of when the whole season went on pause and you didn’t know when you were going to play again, and there were a lot of ifs and stuff.

“But at the end of the day, it’s out of our control of who’s making the decisions right now, and like everyone here we’re just trying to stay ready and be as prepared as we can for whatever our next game is.”

The Lightning have two more games before the break — Tuesday in Las Vegas and Thursday in Arizona.

As of Sunday, the Lightning and Golden Knights were two of just 11 teams (out of 32) that did not have a player in COVID protocols, and Tampa Bay has not had an announced case this season. Players have talked about doing everything they can to stay safe, everybody is vaccinated, and booster shots have been made available through the team.

Still, the Lightning are fortunate not to have a player go into COVID protocol. They played in Ottawa and hosted the Islanders just before those teams had outbreaks, though that was before the Omicron variant forced mass game postponements and five teams (Flames, Avalanche, Panthers, Bruins and Predators) had to pause their seasons until at least the end of the league’s holiday break on Dec. 27.

“It is perplexing,” Cooper said.

But new protocols announced on Saturday are a retreat back to last season’s preventative measures, including a return to daily testing, mandatory mask-wearing in club facilities and while traveling, limitations to eating on the road, and virtual team meetings. It is strongly recommended that players and staff wear masks in indoor public spaces and reduce their overall interaction with the public.

“The issue is the protocols,” Cooper said. “We’ve actually taken two steps back, so this is the part that’s unfortunate. So as a team, it’s just another thing you have to deal with. But as I told our guys, we have it probably better than most in the state we live in. So you just have to be vigilant in what you’re doing and understanding hopefully that this is the last time that we have to kind of go through this.”

Follow all the action on and off the ice

Subscribe to our free Lightning Strikes newsletter

We’ll send you news, analysis and commentary on the Bolts weekly during the season.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

The NHL has gone the opposite way of the NFL, which will end weekly testing of vaccinated, asymptomatic individuals. Unlike the NFL, all but one NHL player — Detroit’s Tyler Bertuzzi — is vaccinated, and most of the cases that have landed players in COVID protocols involved those who were asymptomatic or had flu-like symptoms.

“I’m not a scientist or an epidemiologist, I don’t know,” Cooper said. “Like they’ve said, vaccines and boosters don’t prevent you from getting the virus, but they probably allow you to play if you have the virus. So I think that’s what we have to weigh at some point. When do we say, ‘Hey, listen, nobody’s ultimately going to get really sick and we are protected? We should be able to play.’ But that’s not a decision for me.”

McDonagh said he hopes the league will consider going the way of the NFL.

“It just seems, in my opinion, a little bit more logical as far as how to go about the next step of living with this and moving on with this in our life going forward,” McDonagh said. “So it does make a lot of sense to me. And we’ll see eventually if that happens. Ultimately, in the next couple of weeks here, we’ll see data from all sides and see how it plays out.”

• • •

How to get vaccinated

The COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 and up and booster shots for eligible recipients are being administered at doctors’ offices, clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores and public vaccination sites. Many allow appointments to be booked online. Here’s how to find a site near you:

Find a site: Visit vaccines.gov to find vaccination sites in your zip code.

More help: Call the National COVID-19 Vaccination Assistance Hotline.

Phone: 800-232-0233. Help is available in English, Spanish and other languages.

TTY: 888-720-7489

Disability Information and Access Line: Call 888-677-1199 or email DIAL@n4a.org.

• • •

KIDS AND VACCINES: Got questions about vaccinating your kid? Here are some answers.

BOOSTER SHOTS: Confused about which COVID booster to get? This guide will help.

BOOSTER QUESTIONS: Are there side effects? Why do I need it? Here’s the answers to your questions.

PROTECTING SENIORS: Here’s how seniors can stay safe from the virus.

COVID AND THE FLU: Get a flu shot and the COVID vaccine to avoid a ‘twindemic.’

GET THE DAYSTARTER MORNING UPDATE: Sign up to receive the most up-to-date information.

A TRIBUTE TO FLORIDIANS TAKEN BY THE CORONAVIRUS: They were parents and retirees, police officers and doctors, imperfect but loved deeply.

HAVE A TIP?: Send us confidential news tips.

We’re working hard to bring you the latest news on the coronavirus in Florida. This effort takes a lot of resources to gather and update. If you haven’t already subscribed, please consider buying a print or digital subscription.