Plans for two straight wins on the road, Saturday have now turned into a day to wait out the weather’s intense conditions.
Saturday road game for the Seattle Kraken, 11:00am PT against the New York Islanders, has been postponed by the National Hockey League due to a weather-related state of emergency surrounding New York, the Kraken announced on Friday.
The game has been rescheduled to 4:00pm PT on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at UBS Arena. The Kraken will now complete their four-game road trip against the Islanders, capping a likely stretch of three games in four games starting Sunday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
New York governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency effective Friday evening, with heavy snow and gusty winds expected for Long Island, New York City, and the lower Hudson Valley through Saturday.
"Out of an abundance of caution I am declaring a State of Emergency today as this storm is poised to create dangerous travel conditions, heavy snowfall rates and sustained winds over 50 mph tonight into Saturday," Governor Hochul said in a statement.
“Avoiding travel, especially on Saturday, will be critical in allowing emergency response crews from state and local agencies to do their jobs in the hardest hit areas,” Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said in the statement.
After Sunday’s scheduled game against the Rangers, the Kraken are slated to move on to the host Boston Bruins on Tuesday, Feb. 1 before finishing the trip with the Islanders, completing a mid-week set of back-to-back games.
Both of their originally scheduled games against the Islanders this season have now undergone postponements. The Kraken were originally set to host the Islanders at Climate Pledge Arena on Jan. 4, rescheduled to Tuesday, Feb. 22 in Seattle as a result of COVID-19 related issues affecting the Islanders original travel plans.
The Kraken defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to open their four-game trip last night, 2-1 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena.