The Ottawa Senators will return to practice Saturday for the first time since having three games postponed as the result of 10 players in COVID-19 protocol.
Ottawa’s training facilities have been closed since Nov. 15, when its games at the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 16, against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 18, and against the New York Rangers on Nov. 20, were postponed.
The game against the Devils has been rescheduled for Dec. 6 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The other two have yet to be rescheduled.
Among the 10 players who entered COVID-19 protocol, eight returned Saturday: forwards Austin Watson, Alex Formenton, Dylan Gambrell and Connor Brown, defensemen Nick Holden, Victor Mete and Josh Brown, and goalie Matt Murray. Forward Drake Batherson, who leads the team with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists), and defenseman Nikita Zaitsev still remain in protocol.
The Senators (4-10-1), who have not practiced since Nov. 5 and have not played since a 4-0 loss the Calgary Flames on Nov. 14, are scheduled to play their first game since the pause at the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.
Ottawa’s games were the first in the NHL postponed this season due to COVID-19 concerns. The NHL had 55 games postponed last season; all were made up as part of a 56-game schedule for each of the 31 teams.
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