San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights postponed after Tomas Hertl put in COVID-19 protocol

San Jose's game against the Vegas Golden Knights scheduled for Thursday night was postponed after Sharks forward Tomas Hertl was added to the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list.

The Sharks said they have gotten no additional positive tests, and that the NHL and NHLPA have approved for the team to resume practice Friday if there are no more positive tests before then.

If that happens, San Jose will play its scheduled home game on Saturday against St. Louis.

Hertl became just the second Sharks' player to make the list after Max Letunov spent the first three days of the season in the league's COVID-19 protocol last month.

It's the 36th NHL game this season to be postponed for virus-related issues; it is the 40th counting the Texas snowstorm that affected Dallas.

The Sharks' facilities have been closed. The team canceled practice Wednesday but said that decision and the postponement "was made out of an abundance of caution."

The New York Rangers and Flyers will face off in Philadelphia on Wednesday, and New York now has two players listed, with defenseman K'Andre Miller joining forward Kaapo Kakko. The Flyers' list was down to four players, after Justin Braun was cleared following a 15-day stint in time to dress against the Rangers Wednesday.

Overall, with the Anaheim Ducks' test results still pending, there were currently a season-low-matching eight players on the list, down from a season-high 59 on Feb. 12. That's down from a season high of 59 just 11 days ago.

The Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens remain perfect so far this season, as neither team has had a player put on the list.

The St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs each have had a player added to the COVID-19 list over the past few days, bringing the total number of players who have spent at least one day on it to 126.

Both the Sharks and Golden Knights will eventually need that game in their respective playoff pushes. Entering Wednesday, Vegas, with 23 points, was in first place in the West Division, while San Jose, with 16 points, was just three points out of the No. 4 spot.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.