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Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron has been placed in COVID protocol, the team announced on its official website Wednesday (December 15).
"The Boston Bruins announced today, December 15, that forward Patrice Bergeron has been placed in the NHL's Covid-19 protocol," a brief news release stated.
The move comes one day after Boston placed teammates Brad Marchand and Craig Smith in COVID protocol.
Bergeron scored the Bruins' only goal in their 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. The captain's appearance in the game one day prior to his positive test could lead to even more cases among the franchise.
Boston had already placed Brad Marchand and Craig Smith in COVID protocol on Tuesday prior to its loss to Vegas.
Bergeron has appeared in all 25 games for the Bruins during the 2021-22 NHL season and has recorded 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists), which ranks second to Marchand (27 points) among Boston players, leaving the Bruins without their 2/3 of their top line.
NHL players who display symptoms are placed into a mandatory quarantine for 10 days, while asymptomatic players can be removed from COVD protocol after producing two consecutive negative tests within a 24-hour span.
Several other NHL teams are also dealing with COVID outbreaks including Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, both of whom shut down amid a spike in cases.
The Bruins are scheduled to face the New York Islanders on Long Island Thursday (December 16) night before matchups against the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in Canada this weekend.
The upcoming trip across the border could force Boston to take similar action to Calgary and Carolina in shutting down amid its own outbreak.