All Buffalo Sabres games postponed through at least Feb. 8 due to COVID-19

The Buffalo Sabres were hoping that only Tuesday's game against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum would be postponed while the NHL completed necessary COVID-19 tracing protocols. 

That won't be the case. 

The NHL confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the Sabres will be sidelined through at least Feb. 8. The club's official website added that forward Taylor Hall and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen are currently unavailable per the league's coronavirus-related protocols. 

As a result of this new development, Thursday's Sabres-Islanders game and Buffalo's contests at the Boston Bruins on Saturday and Monday are all postponed. The NHL will announce a decision on Buffalo's games beyond Feb. 8 "in the coming days." 

Via a brief statement, the Sabres said: 

"Sabres players and staff have been closely following and will continue to follow the COVID protocols as outlined by the NHL and the team's medical staff. Our organization will continue to work with the league and our medical team to ensure the health and safety of our players and staff."

Buffalo fell to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday and then learned on Monday that at least 10 Devils players had entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocols list. New Jersey won't play again until Feb. 9 at the earliest. 

Buffalo's training facilities will remain closed until further notice.