Hurricanes forward Martin Necas enters NHL COVID protocol

The Carolina Hurricanes will be without forward Martin Necas for a few games.

The Canes said Monday that the winger has entered the NHL COVID protocol and will be sidelined.

The news on Necas came on the day defenseman Jaccob Slavin returned to practice for the first time since being placed in the COVID protocol.

Necas had a goal and assist Saturday, on his 23rd birthday, as the Canes topped the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 at PNC Arena. He was named the game’s first star as Carolina rebounded from a 6-0 beating by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Necas, one of the Canes’ swiftest skaters, has eight goals and 13 assists, with four game-winning goals, in 33 games this season. Forward Derek Stepan, a healthy scratch Saturday, will draw back into the lineup Tuesday for the road game at Boston.

This story was originally published January 17, 2022 at 11:19 AM.

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.