The Columbus Blue Jackets no longer have a Tuesday rematch awaiting their return from the NHL’s holiday break.
Lingering effects of a large winter storm front in western New York prompted the NHL on Monday to postpone a scheduled game Tuesday between the Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena. The game will be made up at a later date that hasn’t been determined.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport reported they had 49.2 inches of snow on the ground as of 10 a.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The airport is closed until Wednesday morning along with most roads in Buffalo and surrounding suburbs. According to a Monday report by the Associated Press, the storm had caused 50 deaths in the U.S., including 27 in the Buffalo area.
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This is the second postponed game this season for the Blue Jackets (10-21-2), who also needed to reschedule a game against the Nashville Predators originally set for Nov. 26 at Bridgestone Arena. A broken water main flooded the arena’s event level and caused the postponement.
That game will now be played Jan. 17 to complete a two-game season series.
The Sabres opened a three-game season series against the Blue Jackets by embarrassing their hosts Dec. 7 at Nationwide Arena with a 9-4 romp that featured Buffalo’s Tage Thompson notching six points on five goals and one assist. The sting from that humiliation didn’t sit well with the Blue Jackets, who’ve racked up multiple scores to settle this season after embarrassing losses.
Tuesday would’ve been an opportunity to make amends against the Sabres and end a six-game losing streak, but the Blue Jackets now have an unscheduled practice day before playing at the New York Islanders on Thursday in Elmont, N.Y. They’ll also host a rematch Saturday afternoon against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks (8-20-4), who thumped Columbus 5-2 on Friday at United Center.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Buffalo storm postpones Columbus Blue Jackets-Sabres game
