Virus positives play role in first round of NHL playoffs

Players testing positive for the coronavirus late in the NHL’s regular season and at the start of the playoffs affected multiple teams. That is despite a high rate of vaccinations. The St. Louis Blues were swept in the first round after three players who said they were vaccinated tested positive and were unavailable. The Capitals lost in five games after Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov missed time for mandatory quarantine despite no symptoms.