Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will be back in the lineup Thursday versus the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Peter DeBoer announced.

Pietrangelo hasn't played since Jan. 26 and was on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list after members of Vegas' coaching staff tested positive Jan. 28. There's been no confirmation as to whether Pietrangelo had the virus.

The Golden Knights had a series of games postponed due to COVID-19. Forward Tomas Nosek was pulled from Tuesday's contest versus Anaheim after testing positive, but the rematch is going on as scheduled.

Pietrangelo's appeared in seven games this season, notching four points while averaging over 25 minutes per contest.

While his return is a big boost for the first-place Golden Knights, Vegas won't be at full strength as blue-liner Shea Theodore is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

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The Arizona Coyotes have terminated the contract of former assistant general manager Steve Sullivan, the team announced Thursday.

No reason was provided, but the Coyotes did say they won't fill their vacant assistant GM position this season.

Sullivan served as the club's interim general manager after John Chayka abruptly left the position in July. He was the AGM at the time of Chayka's departure, and the team said his position would be re-evaluated after the playoffs.

Arizona hired former St. Louis Blues executive Bill Armstrong as its GM in September.

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Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat isn't buying into the narrative that his club is struggling this campaign due to key losses in this past offseason's free agency.

"I don't believe that," Horvat said, per NHL.com's Kevin Woodley. "Obviously, it's tough to see guys go, but at the same time, you've got to move on and play for the team you are playing for. You can't dwell on anything, and we have a great group of guys here and a lot of good hockey players, and because we lost guys doesn't mean we're trying to play bad.

"We all want to win here, and we all want to do well, so I don't think that's a theory at all."

The Canucks lost All-Star goaltender Jacob Markstrom, forward Tyler Toffoli, and defenseman Chris Tanev to free agency this past fall, largely due to salary cap constraints. All three players were key contributors to Vancouver's run to the playoff's second round in 2020 and are now succeeding with their new teams.

After the Canucks lost their fifth straight contest Monday, star defenseman Quinn Hughes caused a stir for suggesting Vancouver's slow start is partly due to the departures.

"We lost some pretty good players last year, so we're trying to figure it out together," Hughes said, per Woodley.

The Canucks are 6-10-0 on the season and sit sixth in the North Division.

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Boston Bruins agitator Brad Marchand has become rather agitated himself over the abundance of video reviews in the league today.

Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk appeared to score in the second period, but upon further review, the puck never fully crossed the line. When asked if the league should consider putting some kind of chip in the puck to avoid these situations, Marchand said he'd rather just see reviews go away entirely.

"All the video (replays) and all that stuff it really bothers me," Marchand told reporters after the club's 3-2 win over the New York Rangers.

"I just think that being able to challenge all of these plays, like hockey is a game of mistakes, not only by the players but by the referees ... you get your calls against you, but you get your calls that go your way, too."

Marchand, who scored the overtime winner to push his point streak to nine games, believes the number of reviews can also impact the officials' credibility.

"There's a lot of blame that gets put on the refs, but they're there to make those split decision calls, and now they're calling them back all the time. I don't think that it's necessary ... it's just taking hockey to a place where it's annoying."

The Bruins sit atop the East division standings with a 9-1-2 record.

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The Vegas Golden Knights were notified during Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks that one of their players tested positive for COVID-19; upon learning of this, Vegas removed forward Tomas Nosek from the contest and placed him in isolation, the NHL announced Wednesday.

Nosek played over nine minutes but did not appear in the third period.

The Golden Knights and Ducks remain scheduled to play again Thursday. Care tests will be administered to all players and staff members on both teams ahead of the contest.

Vegas canceled its practice and media availability Wednesday due to COVID-19 protocols.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that all venues in the state that can host a minimum of 10,000 people are now permitted to host fans at 10% capacity beginning Feb. 23, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews.

Spectators will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test up to 72 hours before the event in question. Fans will also be assigned socially distanced seating and be required to undergo temperature checks and wear face coverings while attending.

Cuomo cited the Buffalo Bills hosting 7,000 fans during the recent NFL playoffs as an "unparalleled success," opening up a similar opportunity for the state's other major sports franchises.

The Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks are on track to be the first New York teams to welcome fans back under the new arrangement. The Nets will host the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 23 at the Barclays Center, while the Knicks will welcome the Golden State Warriors on the same day to Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks announced they intend to host "roughly 2,000 fans at every game." Madison Square Garden normally has a maximum capacity of 19,500 people.

Brooklyn is still awaiting approval by the NBA, according to Andrews.

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