Golden Knights series against San Jose Sharks postponed

The Golden Knights’ series against the San Jose Sharks was postponed Friday because of COVID-related issues.

The NHL announced that the two games scheduled for Monday and Wednesday at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, with limited attendance will be rescheduled for later this season in San Jose, California.

A third member of the Knights’ coaching staff was added to the league’s COVID protocol Friday, according to the NHL, and is being isolated. The team’s training facilities at City National Arena will remain closed indefinitely.

Neither the NHL nor the Knights are providing additional details about when their season might resume.

The Knights are scheduled to host the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 5 and 7 at T-Mobile Arena. The league has not announced whether those games will be played.

The Knights (5-1-1, 11 points) are off to the second-best start in franchise history and lead the West Division by one point over Colorado and Minnesota.

Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena was postponed after a player and an unidentified member of the Knights’ coaching staff entered the league’s COVID protocols.

Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was included on the NHL’s list of COVID protocol-related absences Thursday, though no new players were added to the list Friday. No members of the Blues, the Knights’ opponent Tuesday, appeared on the list.

Pietrangelo’s inclusion doesn’t automatically mean he tested positive. Absences can be the result of a positive test, an unconfirmed positive test, mandatory isolation for symptomatic individuals, a required quarantine as a high-risk close contact or a mandatory quarantine because of travel or something else, according to the league.

If Pietrangelo tested positive and was symptomatic during his isolation, league protocol states he can return after at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared or with two negative tests.

The Knights have been dealing with COVID-related issues since an unidentified member of the coaching staff tested positive Tuesday, general manager Kelly McCrimmon confirmed.

Coach Pete DeBoer and assistants Steve Spott, Ryan Craig and Ryan McGill have been self-isolating since that time.

McCrimmon coached the Knights during Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout loss and was joined on the bench by Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros and assistants Jamie Heward and Joel Ward.

The team closed its facility at City National Arena on Wednesday.

The Knights are the latest team impacted by the coronavirus, which has forced 11 games across the NHL to be postponed. Dallas had the start of its season delayed four games following an outbreak of 17 positive tests among players, and Carolina had four of its games postponed.

The Knights host the Blues in a two-game series the final weekend of the season and could possibly make up the postponed game then.

As for the series against the Sharks, that could get tricky for the schedule maker.

The Knights play at San Jose on March 5 and 6, and the Sharks have a break in their schedule from March 7 to 11. They might be able to accommodate an extra game before the Knights leave for a two-game set at Minnesota on March 8 and 10.

The Sharks also have a break April 4 to 8, but there’s not much wiggle room otherwise without rescheduling other games, too.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.