Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Three Bruins players, one staff member added to COVID protocol

Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was added to the team's ever-growing number of players and staff members in the NHL's COVID-19 health and safety protocol on Wednesday. On Thursday, more of his teammates joined him.

In a corresponding move, Boston called up a pair of players from the AHL to help fill the void before the team takes on the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Forwards Brad Marchand and Craig Smith were added to the protocol ahead of Tuesday's 4-1 loss against the Vegas Golden Knights, with Marchand's positive test being announced after he had already practiced earlier that day.

The Bruins are far from the only team currently dealing with an outbreak, as the Calgary Flames have most notably been impacted by the virus this week, with multiple games being postponed. There's been no word yet on whether the outbreak will cause the league to put the season on pause or also retract from participating in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing.

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