Oilers-Canadiens game postponed due to COVID-19

Little could the Montreal Canadiens have guessed on Monday afternoon that losing leading goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli for at least the next three games wouldn't be their most concerning news of the day. 

Less than an hour before the drop of the puck, the NHL announced that the Monday night game between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers in Montreal has been postponed after Montreal forwards Joel Armia and Jesperi Kotkaniemi landed on the league's COVID-19 protocols list. No Edmonton players have yet been added to the list, and no makeup date for Monday's matchup was announced in the brief statement. 

Montreal is scheduled to host Edmonton again on Wednesday and Friday. The statuses of those games are up in the air as of early Monday evening, and it's unknown if either Armia or Kotkaniemi tested positive for the coronavirus or were deemed high-risk close contacts. 

Last week, the Boston Bruins were cleared to take the ice versus the Buffalo Sabres despite coronavirus-related concerns but were then placed on pause after multiple Boston players were added to the COVID-19 protocols list. The Bruins hope to be cleared to host the New York Islanders on Thursday. 

Toffoli leads the Canadiens with 18 goals and is tied for the team lead with 27 points.