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NHL postpones two Hurricanes-Panthers games

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The Our Line Starts crew breaks down the Pierre-Luc Dubois situation as the tension continues to rise with the Blue Jackets star wanting out of Columbus.

The Hurricanes’ next two games against the Panthers will be postponed, the NHL announced on Wednesday.

A day after four Hurricanes players were added to the league’s COVID Protocol Related Absence List, the earliest they could resume play is next Tuesday against the Lightning.

From the NHL:

As an appropriate precaution, the team’s training facilities have been closed, effective immediately, and will remain closed for Players until further notice. The League is in the process of reviewing and revising the Hurricanes’ regular season schedule. The Hurricanes organization has, and will continue to follow, all recommended guidelines aimed at protecting the health and safety of its Players, staff and community at large as set by the NHL, local, state and national agencies.

The announcement comes one day after Tuesday’s Hurricanes game against the Predators was postponed “out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts.”

On Tuesday, Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin, and Teuvo Teravainen were added to the NHL’s COVID Protocol Related Absence List. Captain Jordan Staal has been on the list since Friday.

What the “COVID Protocol Related Absence List” means:

From the NHL:

Such “COVID Protocol Related Absences” can be the result of a number of factors including, among others: (1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol.

Along with the Hurricanes, COVID-19-related issues have also disrupted the seasons for the Stars and Panthers. After these postponements, Florida will have played just twice in the first two weeks of the 2020-21 NHL season, while Dallas’ season opener is scheduled for Friday against Nashville.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.