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COVID-ravaged Colorado opts not to postpone game, plays down two skaters against Predators

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The NHL is facing a growing crisis with COVID-19 and there’s nothing that illustrates it more than Thursday’s Avalanche-Predators game.

The Avs, who were already without five players due to injury, had two players enter protocol right before puck drop, JT Compher and Devon Toews.

The team was then posed an interesting question by the NHL.

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league gave the Avalanche the option to postpone the game. Instead, the players voted to go on even though they’d be down two players against the Predators.

The Avalanche dressed 16 skaters total: 11 forwards and 5 defensemen.

Even worse, Dustin Smith, an emergency goaltender, served as the team’s backup. Pavel Francouz got the start. He hadn’t played an NHL game in more than a year.

“We don’t have a lot of bodies in our lineup right now,” defenseman Justin Barron admitted during the first intermission. “We talked about it, before the game, everyone in that locker room wanted to play. Everyone in that locker room has all the faith in the world in each other to win this game. That’s been our mindset.”

They did not. Despite a valiant effort, the Avalanche fell to the Predators 5-2. Avs defenseman Samuel Girard was on the ice for more than half the game (31:46).

Seven Nashville Predators players, five Preds coaches, and four Colorado Avalanche players in total were in protocol at puck drop.

Across the NHL, 60 players have entered COVID-19 protocol over the last four days with no end in sight.

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