The San Jose Sharks canceled their plans to fly into Buffalo on Saturday night as a powerful snowstorm bearing down on Western New York forced the closure of the area’s biggest airport and caused the state’s governor to issue a full travel ban.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday declared that a full travel ban for Erie County would go into effect at 9 p.m. (EST) when a storm that’s projected to bring two to three feet of snow is expected to blanket the Buffalo region over a 24-hour period.
By Saturday morning, nearly every flight in and out of Buffalo Niagara International Airport had already been canceled.
The Sharks initially planned to leave Ottawa on Saturday evening right after their game with the Senators, which didn’t end until 6:31 p.m. (EST). A direct flight from Ottawa to Buffalo takes less than one hour, and a Sharks spokesman said earlier Saturday that the team expected to arrive before 9 p.m.
Those plans changed, however, as the Sharks learned that the airport had been closed to travel by authorities. A Sharks spokesman added that the team will remain in Ottawa overnight and fly to Buffalo when normal air traffic resumes.
Hochul said the travel ban, which means only emergency vehicles are allowed on highways, will be revisited on Sunday at 6 a.m. (EST). The Sharks are still scheduled to play the Buffalo Sabres at noon (EST) on Monday.
The National Weather Service office in Buffalo said strong winds were expected to knock down trees and cause widespread power outages. Temperatures on Sunday morning were expected to dip into the low 20s.
The powerful storm led the NFL on Saturday to push back the Buffalo Bills’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers from Sunday to Monday at 4:30 p.m. (EST).
Because of that change, the Sharks’ game against the Sabres was moved up one hour from 1 p.m.
“The decision to move the game to Monday was made in consultation with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in the best interest of public safety,” the NFL and Bills said in a joint statement, “and with the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the region prepares for the storm.”
After Monday’s game, the Sharks finish the road trip on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The forecast for Chicago that day calls for a high of 3 degrees Fahrenheit.