BOONE JENNER

The decision, reached in coordination with the NHL Players' Association, means five additional games scheduled for Thursday will be postponed, bringing the total this season to 49. Two games slated for Tuesday are still set to go on as scheduled. Teams will then report back for COVID-19 testing and practice on Sunday, a day before games are set to resume. Of the 49 games postponed, 44 have occurred over the past two weeks with the delta and omicron variants spreading across North America. A final decision on the Beijing Games is expected this week, and the odds of NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 have cratered.

The league and NHL Players’ Association on Sunday said in a joint statement they were attempting to avoid a leaguewide shutdown and were making decisions on a team-by-team basis. A final decision on the Beijing Games is expected this week, and the odds of NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 have cratered. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators on Monday became the latest teams to pause all activities because of positive COVID-19 tests. The U.S. and Canadian women’s hockey teams were set to play a pre-Olympic game Monday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. ___More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

Blue Jackets Canucks Hockey Columbus Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner, back, protests to referee Trevor Hanson, right, after a penalty was called against Andrew Peeke during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) (DARRYL DYCK)The latest wave of coronavirus-related shutdowns across the NHL has closed 10 teams’ facilities and left just eight games on the schedule before the holiday break. Seattle’s game Tuesday against Arizona became the latest to get moved to a later date because of the Kraken’s coronavirus issues. A final decision on the Beijing Games is expected this week, and the odds of NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014 have cratered. The U.S. and Canadian women’s hockey teams were set to play a pre-Olympic game Monday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

Blue Jackets Canucks Hockey Columbus Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner, back, protests to referee Trevor Hanson, right, after a penalty was called against Andrew Peeke during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) (DARRYL DYCK)More than a quarter of NHL teams have been shut down through at least the weekend, after the Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens became the eighth and ninth to have activities paused because of several positive COVID-19 test results among players. The Blue Jackets had games scheduled for Monday night at Buffalo and Thursday at home against the Sabres postponed, bringing the total to 42 across the NHL this season. Seven other NHL teams have been shut down as positive test results have risen across the league. The Blue Jackets canceled their morning skate Monday while awaiting COVID-19 test results, a day after calling off practice because of virus concerns.

Blue Jackets Canucks Hockey Columbus Blue Jackets' Boone Jenner, back, protests to referee Trevor Hanson, right, after a penalty was called against Andrew Peeke during the third period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Vancouver, British Columbia. A total of 41 NHL games have been postponed this season because of coronavirus-related reasons. The Blue Jackets canceled their morning skate while awaiting COVID-19 test results after calling off practice Sunday. Seven other NHL teams have been shut down as positive test results have risen across the league. “We will continue to play the 2021-22 regular season schedule,” the NHL and NHLPA said Sunday in a joint statement.

Alex Ovechkin got his 742nd career goal, Conor Sheary scored with 1:22 left and the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3.