Head coach Peter Laviolette says the four Washington Capitals players who were placed on the NHL's COVID-19 list are in quarantine and he believes they will miss the team's next four games.
Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Samsonov, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov were placed on the list on Wednesday night and the NHL fined the Capitals $100,000 for violating league protocols.
The Capitals were punished by the league for "social interactions among team members who were in close contact and who were not wearing face coverings."
Washington said in a statement the team was "disappointed by our players' choice to interact in their hotel room and outside of team approved areas." Saying it accepts the NHL's decision, the team vowed to "reiterate the COVID-19 protocols in place to make sure the players are in full compliance moving forward."
"I regret my choice to spend time together with my teammates in our hotel room and away from the locker room areas," Ovechkin said in the statement. "I will learn from this experience."
-- With files from The Associated Press
