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As season skates toward midway point, NHL closes February with just four players on its COVID-19 list

The NHL closed February with a season-low-matching four players on its COVID-19 list.

Detroit's Patrik Nemeth entered the protocol on Sunday, while Ottawa's Ryan Dzingel and Philadelphia's Travis Konecny were cleared after spending two weeks on the list.

Konecny was the final Flyers player in the protocol after the team had as many as seven on the list on Feb. 17.

Philadelphia struggled on the ice at that point, but the Flyers have rebounded as players have returned. After losing to the Boston Bruins 7-3 on Feb. 21, Philadelphia has now won three in a row, outscoring opponents 10-3.

The overall NHL numbers have stayed in single digits since Feb. 22, when there were nine players in the protocol. Overall, that's down from a season-high 59 players on the list Feb. 12.

Nemeth's addition ups the total to 129 players having spent at least one day in the protocol. The New Jersey Devils top that list with 21 players affected and spending a combined 259 days on the COVID-19 list.

Montreal and Calgary are the only NHL teams that have not had a player placed in the protocol since the season began on Jan. 13.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.