The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell is reporting that Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov has tested positive for COVID-19. The team learned of Samsonov’s positive test after Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This news comes after a confusing press conference by Peter Laviolette who said that none of the four Russians tested positive after being asked by NBC Sports Washington’s JJ Regan.

Due to Ilya Samsonov's positive covid test, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov are all in quarantine protocols and will miss at least the next 4 games due to contact tracing. https://t.co/77lDFSkf2Y

— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) January 21, 2021

Due to their exposure to Samsonov, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dmitry Orlov will now all miss the next four games at least, along with the goalie, as they quarantine away from the team.

“Those are four big pieces for us, important pieces,” Laviolette said. “They’ll be missed.”

Ovechkin in a press release said that “I regret my choice to spend time together with my teammates in our hotel room and away from the locker room areas. I will learn from this experience.”

Thursday, Nastya Ovechkina sarcastically criticized the NHL for its protcols.

Read more: Laviolette explains what happened | Lines for the home opener | Nastya Ovechkina takes on the NHL

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB