Pittsburgh Penguins’ game in Boston tentatively postponed to Saturday
By Matt Gajtka
Boston has been put on lockdown as federal authorities search for the remaining suspect in Monday’s marathon bombings, which puts sports near the bottom of everyone’s priority list.
Not surprisingly, reports leaked out Friday afternoon that the NHL will cancel tonight’s Pittsburgh Penguins-Boston Bruins matchup, which was scheduled for 7:05 at TD Garden. Stan Savran reported on 970 ESPN a little after 2 p.m. that the game would not be played, although the league and the teams have not yet confirmed that.
At 3 p.m., Joe Haggerty, a Bruins beat reporter with Comcast SportsNet New England, echoed what Savran reported:
Per a Boston police source, Bruins game has been cancelled for tonight. #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) April 19, 2013
Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox announced that their Friday evening game against Kansas City at Fenway Park has been postponed, increasing the likelihood that the Bruins and Penguins stay off the ice tonight.
April 17, 2013; Boston, MA USA; The Boston Strong ribbon is displayed on the jumbotron prior to the start of a game between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
City of Champions will provide further updates as news develops.
UPDATE (3:19 p.m.): The NHL announced it has tentatively postponed Friday’s game until Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
A further postponement or an outright cancellation could be possible if the situation in Boston extends or intensifies in any way. The NHL said on its website that the status of the game will be solidified by Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Because of this, the Penguins’ scheduled Saturday game against Buffalo at Consol Energy Center has been moved to Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. Pittsburgh will now play four times in the last six days of its regular season, with trips to Ottawa (Monday) and New Jersey (Thursday) coming before the finale next Saturday vs. Carolina.
The current plan alleviates a potential scheduling jam for the Bruins, who will make up a game with Ottawa on Sunday, April 28. That contest was originally set to take place just hours after Monday’s terrorist attack.