COVID-19 concerns on Flyers force postponement of Tuesday’s game with Hurricanes

The Flyers’ game against the Carolina Hurricanes scheduled for Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center has been postponed because of COVID-19 issues affecting the home team, the NHL announced Monday night.

As of Monday afternoon, the Flyers had four players in COVID protocols: captain Claude Giroux (entered protocols on Jan. 4), defenseman Ivan Provorov (entered Jan. 4), winger Travis Konecny (entered Jan. 5), and defenseman Justin Braun (entered Monday). Defenseman Travis Sanheim had just cleared protocols and was slated to return to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 4.

According to general manager Chuck Fletcher, there were no new additions to protocols on Monday night. Had the game between the Flyers and the Hurricanes gone on as scheduled, they would have had 12 forwards and seven defensemen available, enough to produce a full lineup.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ Travis Sanheim returns from COVID-19 protocols as Justin Braun enters

Dating back to mid-December when forward Morgan Frost entered protocols on Dec. 14, the Flyers have played shorthanded over the last four weeks at times because of the coronavirus. However, in recent games, the Flyers have seen availability especially hindered because of multiple players in protocols. Against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, the Flyers played as scheduled despite having six players (Giroux, Provorov, Konecny, Sanheim, defenseman Nick Seeler, and forward Jackson Cates) on the COVID list.

The Flyers also played against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday while down four players who were in COVID-19 protocols (Giroux, Provorov, Konecny, and Sanheim).

The new date for the game between the Flyers and the Hurricanes has yet to be determined. This week, the Flyers are scheduled to play against the Boston Bruins on the road on Thursday and against the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.