Avalanche Have 3 Games Postponed Due to NHL's COVID-19 Protocols

The NHL announced Friday that the Colorado Avalanche have had their next three scheduled games postponed because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

The league noted that a third Avalanche player was placed in COVID protocols Friday, meaning games against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Sunday have been postponed, as has Colorado's game against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.

If the Avalanche return no new positive tests in the coming days, the NHL expects them to return to practice April 21 and return to game action April 22 against the Blues.

Prior to Friday, rookie defenseman Bo Byram and starting goalie Philipp Grubauer had already been placed on the COVID list by the Avs.

Byram, 19, was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft. He has appeared in 19 games during his debut season, tallying two assists, a plus-1 rating and 23 penalty minutes and 17:31 of ice time per game.

Grubauer is the bigger loss given his status as a top contender to win the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the NHL's top goaltender.

The 29-year-old leads the league with five shutouts and also boasts a 25-8-1 record with a 2.00 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.

Colorado acquired veteran goalie Devan Dubnyk from the San Jose Sharks prior to the trade deadline, and he will likely fill in as the Avs' starter until Grubauer returns.

The Avalanche also have Jonas Johansson in goal after acquiring him from the Buffalo Sabres last month.

Colorado is the top team in the NHL so far this season with a 30-9-4 record, which is good for 64 points. That puts the Avs four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the West Division.

The Avalanche could be in danger of losing the NHL's top spot with three games getting postponed, but Colorado is stacked with enough talent to close the gap should that happen.