Senators Add Fifth Player To COVID-19 Protocol Ahead Of Bruins Game

The Ottawa Senators will be even more shorthanded against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Defenseman Victor Mete on Tuesday entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol, becoming the fifth player and sixth person involved in what has developed into a COVID-19 outbreak.

The Senators have been managing the incident since Friday, when forward Austin Watson tested positive for the virus. Over the weekend, defenseman Nick Holden and assistant coach Jack Capuano also returned positive tests.

Connor Brown and Dylan Gambrell were added to the COVID-19 list Monday morning, after the Senators did not practice while waiting for results to come back.

To make matters worse for Ottawa, goaltender Anton Forsberg will miss Tuesday’s game with a non-COVID illness. He was 1-2 through four games for the Senators, with a 4.80 goals against average and .885 save percentage.

To fill the roster spot, goalie Filip Gustavsson was recalled from the AHL. He was one the fourth player to join the NHL club, with Erik Brannstrom, Scott Sabourin and Egor Sokolov joining the active roster. According to the team’s website, Brannstrom will play in his first NHL game of the season and Sokolov will make his NHL debut on Tuesday in Boston.

Brown was one of the most productive players on the Senators’ roster, with seven points through 11 games, while Mete managed to log four assists in nine games.

With that production missing — and younger players replacing it — the Bruins should have an easier go of things against the 3-7-1 Senators.