VANCOUVER — Head coach Bruce Boudreau says nobody is actually sick, but the Vancouver Canucks remain hobbled by COVID-19.
Leading scorer J.T. Miller returns to the Canucks’ lineup Tuesday after exiting the NHL’s COVID protocol. But starting goalie Thatcher Demko, who tested positive when Miller did on Thursday, hasn’t been cleared to rejoin the team.
And winger Tanner Pearson on Tuesday became the 17th Canuck in the last six weeks to go on the protocol list and will miss Tuesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Minor-league goalie Spencer Martin, whose first NHL start in five years came Friday, is expected to get his second Vancouver start after his own COVID test on Saturday proved to be a false positive.
“Well, you know, another day another protocol,” Boudreau said of losing Pearson from an already-depleted top six. “I mean, you’ve got to adjust every day. There can’t be too many more people in our organization that can get this thing, so hopefully it runs out quick. What are you going to do?”
Asked about the health of the five Canucks in protocol, Boudreau said: “Their overall health is nobody’s sick. So I mean, take it for what it is. All of these guys that have been in protocol, none of them have gotten sick. They’ve had maybe a stuffed-up nose or something. Nothing more than a cold.”
The COVID trait the Canucks exhibit most is Omicron transmissibility.
Backup goalie Jaroslav Halak, team captain Bo Horvat and key winger Conor Garland didn’t come home from the last road trip after testing positive in the United States. After those players stayed in the U.S. to avoid running afoul of Canadian government guidelines about crossing the border following positive tests, Boudreau hopes Halak, Horvat and Garland will be able to join the Canucks in Winnipeg when they open a four-game road trip Thursday against the Jets.
Slowed by COVID after an 8-0-1 start under Boudreau, the Canucks are 2-4-1 in their last seven games and coming off a winless weekend in which Vancouver scored only two goals in losses to the Florida Panthers (2-1 in a shootout) and St. Louis Blues (3-1).
Martin played the first game in net before fourth-string goalie Mike DiPietro, backed up by university student Rylan Toth, played Sunday. After facing Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau on Friday, Martin, a 26-year-old journeyman, will see Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl tonight.
The return of Miller, who has 12 goals and 39 points in 39 games, should help the Canucks’ attack. He was reunited in the morning skate with Lotto Line teammates Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, who have combined for four goals and six points during Vancouver’s seven-game slide.
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