Kieffer Bellows tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday but, it turns out, Anthony Beauvillier did not the day before.
Beauvillier returned to the Islanders’ lineup for Sunday night’s game against the Maple Leafs, the second at UBS Arena, after it was determined he had received a false positive on his COVID-19 test on Saturday. He sat out the 5-2 loss to the Flames that christened the team’s new home.
The Islanders still have six players in COVID-19 protocol as Bellows joins captain Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Ross Johnston and defensemen Adam Pelech and Andy Greene.
Islanders president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said Bailey remains quarantined in Florida, where he has been since testing positive on Tuesday. Lamoriello did not offer updates on any of the other players in COVID-19 protocol.
Beauvillier’s availability meant Lamoriello did not have to recall another player from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
“We feel comfortable after our morning tests,” Lamoriello said. “We also get tested again this evening. The NHL has stepped up the testing throughout the National Hockey League.”
Lamoriello said he has never experienced anything like this as an NHL executive, a career that began in 1987.
“What you do is just make sure you stay calm through it,” Lamoriello said. “Look at all the options you possibly have and only deal with the things that you have control over.”
As for UBS Arena, which he had a big say in helping to design, Lamoriello said, “It is as advertised.
“This is an arena built for hockey. This is an arena that has the atmosphere of the [Nassau] Coliseum. That was communicated back to me by our coaches and our players. They felt the fans were right on top of them. These are the greatest fans. We have to keep them boisterous.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
