Bruins-Hurricanes Game 1 Postponed Until Wednesday Morning Due To Columbus-Tampa Bay Overtime Marathon
BOSTON (CBS) -- The bubble does have some drawbacks. Having every team in the conference sharing a rink is one of them.
The NHL learned that on Tuesday, when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning went into overtime, and then double overtime, and then triple overtime ... and then quadruple overtime and quintuple overtime.
The seemingly never-ending marathon game pushed back the start of Game 1 between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes, which had been scheduled to begin on that same sheet of ice at 8 p.m. ET.
In the intermission before the fifth overtime, the NHL officially postponed the Bruins-Hurricanes game until Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. ET.
Obviously, postponing playoff games is a rare occurrence. But the "bubble" environment eliminates issues like attendance and travel, thus freeing up the NHL to adjust accordingly when one of the longest game in NHL history takes place.
Though the 11 a.m. ET start is certainly unique, the NHL didn't have much in the way of flexibility, as the Islanders and Capitals are set to kick off their series at Scotiabank Arena at 3 p.m. ET. The NHL requires 90 minutes between games, with all teams sharing the same arena, so a 12 p.m. ET start time would not have fit for Bruins-Hurricanes.
As a result of the rescheduled first game, the Bruins and Hurricanes will be playing on back-to-back days to begin their series.
The new schedule for the Bruins-Hurricanes series is as follows:
Game 1: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m.
Game 2: Thursday, Aug. 13, 8 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, Aug. 15, 12 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, Aug. 17, 8 p.m.
Game 5: Wednesday, Aug. 19, Time TBD
Game 6: Thursday, Aug. 20, Time TBD
Game 7: Sunday, Aug. 12, Time TBD
