In the preseason, traveling NHL teams usually fly in and out the day of their exhibitions. While this in-and-out approach has its benefits, it also has its costs — like, say, when travel delays push a game’s start time back and sometimes even cancel it.
Those delays happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins ahead of Saturday’s preseason game in Detroit. Because of these delays, the Red Wings announced that the game will be postponed until further notice, with a possible rescheduled date in the future.
Saturday’s game was originally scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time, then was pushed back to 8:30 p.m. before being cancelled. The Red Wings announced Saturday’s cancellation at 6:52 p.m. because the Penguins continued to face travel delays.
Neither team announced a specific source of the travel delays. The Penguins appeared to fly out Saturday afternoon judging by posts on their social media.
The game was set to be an exciting one. Detroit’s expected lineup included Patrick Kane’s preseason debut for the Red Wings. Former Michigan hockey star Rutger McGroarty, who is in the Penguins’ lineup after signing his ELC late in the offseason, was also set for a homecoming. If the game is rescheduled, it is unclear how a postponed date affects either team’s lineup decisions, but it is unlikely that the lineups would remain exactly the same.
If the Red Wings and Penguins were to cancel the game, neither would be lacking in preseason opportunities. Detroit still has five preseason games on the schedule, while Pittsburgh has four games remaining.
[Get the Full Scoop: Red Wings-Penguins Game Day Notebook & Where To Watch]
Delays Aplenty
The Penguins aren’t the only ones facing travel issues this weekend. Flight tracking service FlightAware reports 2,406 delays within, into or out of the United States on Saturday. Many of these delays are caused by the remnants and aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has left parts of the Southeast United States ravaged by flooding.
Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh also isn’t the only NHL team whose travel schedule has been thrown off the past few days. When the Columbus Blue Jackets played the Washington Capitals on Friday night, their flight into D.C. was delayed three hours. The Blue Jackets ended up winning their delayed start, 8-4, despite any jet lag.
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