Report: Canada approves cross-border travel for final rounds of Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Canadian government has approved a travel exemption for the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, allowing teams to cross the Canada-United States border without requiring quarantine, according to CBC News.

Players will live in a modified quarantine bubble and won't have any access to the general public. They will also be subject to daily COVID-19 testing.

Cross-border travel between Canada and the United States has been restricted throughout the pandemic. Last summer, the NHL staged the Stanley Cup Playoffs with strict COVID policies in place in separate bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton.

This season, teams did not play opponents outside their divisions in an effort to limit travel. The seven Canadian teams resided in the North Division.

The Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets are the two Canadian teams alive in the playoff picture, with the Habs holding a 2-0 series lead. The winner of the second-round clash will take on the winner of the Colorado Avalanche-Vegas Golden Knights series in Round 3.