The Latest: Carolina-Nashville postponed, 1st NHL game

people watching game inside stadium
Photo by Pedro Bariak on Unsplash

By The Associated Press, AP News.

The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:

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The NHL has postponed its first game since the league’s season began, postponing Tuesday night’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Predators hours after the teams played the first of a two-game set in Nashville.

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The league only said the game was postponed to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game-day personnel.

For the Hurricanes, captain Jordan Staal had been the only player on the NHL’s unavailability list due to COVID-19 protocols. Staal had been on that daily list since Friday, with the Hurricanes losing at Detroit on Saturday then winning Monday 4-2 at Nashville in that span. Nashville’s only player on the unavailability list has been forward Mikael Granlund who only arrived back in Tennessee from Finland on Friday and is in quarantine before joining the Predators.

The NHL has not announced a make-up date.

The teams aren’t scheduled to play again in Nashville until the end of the season, with back-to-back games on May 7-8.

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The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday that the men’s basketball game between Boston College and No. 12 Virginia Tech on Wednesday has been postponed.

The postponement follows a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Boston College men’s program. The league says the team is adhering to ACC protocols.

No makeup date has been announced.

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The Kentucky women’s basketball game at Tennessee has been rescheduled for Sunday.

The game had initially been scheduled for Jan. 3 but was postponed because of COVID-19 issues within the Lady Vols program. The Wildcats are ranked 12th and Tennessee 25th. The Lady Vols originally were scheduled to play Vanderbilt on Sunday, but the Commodores announced Monday they were discontinuing their season because of a depleted roster.

The other Southeastern Conference women’s games Sunday include: Auburn at Alabama, South Carolina at LSU, Florida at Mississippi and Texas A&M at Missouri.

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The French soccer federation says amateur clubs will take part in this year’s French Cup after the ministry of sports agreed to the move amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The federation says amateur teams in France and overseas territories involved in the 104th edition of the yearly tournament have been allowed to resume training immediately.

The federation says the decision will ensure “the smooth running of a competition emblematic of the unity of French soccer.”

All matches will be played without fans and in the afternoon to avoid a clash with the nationwide 6 p.m. curfew. Players will undergo tests two to three days before each game and will have another test on the day of the match.

No matches will be postponed if there is a COVID-19 outbreak at a specific club. Teams will instead be forced to forfeit.

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