Montreal Canadiens’ Joel Armia not on the ice Sunday due to COVID-19 protocol

MONTREAL —
Montreal Canadiens Marc Bergevin said that right winger Joel Armia was not on the ice Sunday morning due to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, and he will not travel with the team to Tampa in the afternoon.

This is the second time this season that Armia has been forced to undergo the league’s coronavirus protocol.

When he returned to the game in April after a 24-day recovery, the Finn indicated that he had contracted the British variant and had been feeling sore for “four or five days”.

His condition is unknown at this time, but Bergevin said more details will be released on Monday.

Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme is currently in isolation after a positive COVID-19 test before Game 3 of the semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Ducharme is set to return to the bench for Game 3 of the finals at the Bell Centre on Friday.

Armia has played in all 17 playoff games for the Habs this season and scored five goals with three assists and a plus-4 rating. He has scored two shorthanded goals for the Habs

— with files from the Canadian Press.