Canadiens' Armia in COVID-19 protocol, won't travel to Tampa
Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia missed Sunday's practice due to NHL COVID-19 protocols and won't travel with the team to Tampa, Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told reporters, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu.
Bergevin said there will be an update on the 28-year-old's status Monday morning. Montreal faces the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday.
Armia tested positive for COVID-19 in late March, which resulted in the postponement of several Canadiens games.
Jake Evans slotted into the lineup in Armia's absence. Evans, 25, hasn't played since being injured by Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of Round 2.
#Habs practice (Armia missing):
- John Lu (@JohnLuTSNMtl) June 27, 2021
Lehkonen - Danault - Gallagher
Toffoli - Suzuki - Caufield
Byron - Kotkaniemi - Anderson
Evans - Staal - Perry
Tatar - Frolik - Belzile
Chiarot - Weber
Edmundson - Petry
Gustafsson - Merrill
Romanov - Kulak
Ouellet - Fleury
Price
Allen@TSN_Edge
Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme has been away from the team since Game 2 of Montreal's semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights after testing positive for COVID-19. He's expected to return for Game 3 of the finals after completing his 14-day quarantine.
Armia has been a key player for the Canadiens during their playoff run, playing alongside veterans Eric Staal and Corey Perry on Montreal's fourth line.
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