Ovechkin among four Capitals on NHL's coronavirus absence list originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

Four key members of the Capitals have been placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol-related absences list, including superstar scorer Alex Ovechkin. 

Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov appeared on the absence list, according to the Washington Post’s Samantha Pell. 

“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 a statement. “I will learn from this experience.”

These players’ inclusion on the NHL’s COVID list doesn’t automatically mean they’ve tested positive for the coronavirus. Other than identifying the players impacted by the virus, the league doesn’t release information on whether they tested positive or were just a close contact.

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Earlier on Wednesday evening, the Capitals were fined $100,000 by the league for violated COVID-19 protocols. Per the NHL’s statement, some Capitals players were found to have participated in a social interaction with one another without wearing face coverings. 

Washington is 2-0-2 to start the 2021 season and is scheduled to return to the ice Friday for their home opener against the Sabres.