NHL postpones Hurricanes games through Jan. 23

The NHL has halted the Carolina Hurricanes' schedule through at least Jan. 23 with five Hurricanes players on the COVID-19 protocol list, the league announced Wednesday.

Carolina's club facilities will be closed until further notice.

The Hurricanes had two games against the Florida Panthers scheduled for Thursday and Saturday.

The league already postponed Tuesday's game between Carolina and the Nashville Predators due to COVID-19 concerns. Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell confirmed three Carolina players tested positive for COVID-19 but added that one test produced a false positive.

This is the second time the Panthers have had their schedule interrupted due to the pandemic. The club was set to open its season with a pair of games against the Dallas Stars, but those contests were postponed after 17 players within the Stars organization tested positive for COVID-19 throughout training camp.

Makeup dates for the postponed games are yet to be announced.