Nikita Kucherov out of Lightning lineup again, enters COVID-19 protocol

The latest sports news:

• Canucks' Miller and Martin out of protocol; Pearson tests positive
• Russian figure skater will miss Olympics after contracting coronavirus
• 8 Norwegian cross-country skiers in isolation

Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Nikita Kucherov was placed in the NHL's  COVID-19 protocol on Tuesday.

Kucherov has recorded five goals and 17 points in 11 games this season for the Lightning (28-10-5, 61 points), who return to action Thursday against the visiting New Jersey Devils.

The former Hart Trophy recipient returned earlier this month after missing 32 games with a lower-body injury.

Kucherov, 28, missed the 2020-21 regular season after hip surgery but returned with a flourish in the playoffs, recording eight goals and 32 points in 23 contests to help the Lightning repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

Kucherov won the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award in 2018-19 after scoring a career-high 41 goals and leading the league in assists (87) and points (128).

He has 226 goals and 564 points in 526 NHL regular-season games since making his debut in 2013.

Canucks' Pearson has virus

The Vancouver Canucks got two players back from the NHL's COVID-19 protocol ahead of a crucial matchup with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

J.T. Miller missed two games and goalie Spencer Martin missed Sunday's outing after testing positive for the virus.

Miller leads the Canucks (18-19-4) in scoring with 12 goals and 27 assists in 39 appearances.

Martin has split the season between taxi squad and the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks, and made his debut for Vancouver on Friday, stopping 33 shots as in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers.

COVID continues to plague Vancouver's locker room, though, with forward Tanner Pearson testing positive for the virus on Tuesday.

He joins four other Canucks players in protocol, including star goalie Thatcher Demko, backup Jaroslav Halak, captain Bo Horvat and winger Conor Garland. Assistant coaches Scott Walker and Kyle Gustafson are also on the list.

Virus-stricken Russian skater out of Olympics

Russian figure skater Mikhail Kolyada has been ruled out of next month's Beijing Olympics after testing positive for the coronavirus.

The Russian Figure Skating Federation said Tuesday Kolyada tested positive ahead of travelling to a pre-Olympic training camp and has been replaced by Evgeni Semenenko.

"Several days ago, Mikhail Kolyada started feeling unwell," the federation said. "For all this time the skater has not been training."

Kolyada was the only member of Russia's three-strong men's team who had previously competed at the Olympics, and the only former world championship medallist after winning bronze in 2018.

Semenenko joins European champion Mark Kondratiuk and 2020 world junior champion Andrei Mozalev on the team.

The strict testing requirements before and during the Olympics are likely to rule out more athletes. Two-time ski jumping gold medallist Andreas Wellinger will also miss the Beijing Games because he tested positive last week, one day before the German team was selected.

"The risk for him and for the team is too high," team spokesman Ralph Eder said Tuesday.

Norwegian Olympic cross-country skiers isolating

Every member of Norway's men's cross-country skiing team is isolating ahead of the Olympics because a coach has contracted the coronavirus.

Sprint team head coach Arild Monsen tested positive for COVID-19 after returning to Norway from the Italian Alpine resort of Seiser Alm, the Norwegian Ski Association said Tuesday.

All eight team members have been defined as a close contact of Monsen, the association said, and must delay their departure to Beijing. Instead of leaving on Thursday, the team will now depart on Monday.

They are awaiting the results of PCR tests taken on Monday.

The men's Olympic cross-country skiing program starts on Feb. 6.

Norway is the leading nation in cross-country skiing, winning four of the six men's events at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.