Even though the Bruins scrapped their morning skate because of the “bomb cyclone” winter storm hitting Boston on Thursday, it appeared they were going to play on Thursday night against the Panthers.
But once the snow started falling, there was a change of heart.
The NHL announced Thursday morning that tonight’s game between the Bruins and the Panthers “has been postponed due to the severe winter storm impacting the area. The date and time of the rescheduled game will be announced at a later date.”
It was a little surprising, given that the Panthers and the NHL officiating crew set to work the game were already in town. But safety is the first priority, and Winter Storm “Grayson” is expected to dump 10-16 inches of snow in the Boston area while also delivering high winds and violent storm conditions.
The Bruins -- who are next scheduled to play Saturday night at TD Garden against Carolina -- had a February home date against the Tampa Bay Lightning postponed in 2013, and the game was made up at the very end of the regular season. Last season the Bruins and Sharks played despite a Boston blizzard due to the difficulty of making up the game later in the season against a Western Conference opponent.
In a separate release, the Bruins said tickets for tonight’s game will be valid for the makeup game when it is announced.