The NWHL on Friday adjusted its schedule and playoff qualifying format to account for the Metropolitan Riveters dropping out of the season in the bubble in Lake Placid, N.Y., because of positive COVID-19 tests.
NWHL adjusts schedule with team dropping out
Positive COVID-19 tests prompted the Metropolitan Riveters to pull out of the tournament. The first-place Minnesota Whitecaps will now play Saturday and Monday for playoff seeding purposes.
January 30, 2021 at 12:01AM
![Whitecaps players waited to take the ice ahead of Saturday's game against the Metropolitan Riveters. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/4S4TU6PH6VPAL7Y2UC2DRIO4XA.jpg?&w=712)
With five teams remaining, the league will have the Boston Pride, currently in fourth place in the standings, and the fifth-place Buffalo Beauts playing a best-of-three series, beginning Saturday, to determine the fourth seed in the playoffs.
The top three in the standings – the No. 1 Minnesota Whitecaps, No. 2 Connecticut Whale and No. 3 Toronto Six – will play each other to determine the top three seeds. The Whitecaps meet Toronto at 5 p.m. Saturday and Connecticut at 4:30 p.m. Monday. All games Saturday through Monday will be available on Twitch.tv/nwhl.
The single-elimination semifinals will be on Thursday, with No. 1 vs. No. 4 at 4:30 p.m. and No. 2 vs. No. 3 at 7 p.m. The Isobel Cup Championship will be 6 p.m. Friday. The semifinals and final will air on NBC Sports Network.
A 7-1 loss to Edmonton came with back-to-back home games just ahead and another injury in place, as the Wild placed defenseman Jake Middleton on IR and claimed veteran Travis Dermott off waivers.
