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You combine a lake-effect blizzard, howling ice-cold winds and a travel ban that kept the NHL’s top team in Buffalo on Saturday night instead of flying to Columbus, Ohio.
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They had beat the Sabres 1-0 to improve to 5-1-0 on a seven-game road trip and are scheduled to play a Monday matinee against the Blue Jackets, but are awaiting word when the ban will be lifted, or kept in place.
“All I can say is that we are in a holding pattern,” a Canucks spokesperson said Sunday morning. “Hopefully, we will be able to leave later today.”
There are options should the Canucks be further delayed or can’t get to Columbus in time for Monday’s game. The game could be pushed back from a 1 p.m. ET start, or perhaps, added to the end of Vancouver’s road schedule. The Canucks play in Winnipeg on April 18.
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The fierce weather in the upper western region of New York state had deteriorated to the point that the NFL playoff AFC wild-card playoff game between the host Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers had to be moved from Sunday to Monday at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) to allow time to shovel the stadium.
As of 10 a.m. ET Sunday, the travel ban was still in place.
“My top priority is to keep New Yorkers safe, and this winter storm continues to pose a life and safety risk,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. “While there are some areas that are no longer experiencing whiteout conditions, much of Erie County remains unsafe for motorists.”
Hochul added that snowfall rates of two to three inches per hour are anticipated and response teams are preparing for the “worst-case scenario.”
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