Two tests out of 2,618 administered to more than 800 NHL players over the first five days of Phase 3 returned positive for COVID-19, the league announced Monday.

Both players who tested positive have entered self-isolation and are following the instructions of the CDC and Health Canada.

The figures from July 13-17 mark an improvement over last week's numbers. The league announced on July 13 that 43 out of 4,932 tests had returned positive during the second phase of its return-to-play plan beginning June 8.

The NHL added at the time that more than 600 players had been tested, and that it was aware of 13 players who tested positive while not reporting for informal on-ice workouts.

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The Colorado Avalanche were without rookie phenom Cale Makar for the second consecutive practice Monday, according to The Athletic's Ryan Clark.

Makar left Saturday's practice early and was absent from Sunday's skate as well. Head coach Jared Bednar did not speak afterward, as coaches are prohibited from disclosing injuries and illnesses.

Makar is coming off an incredible rookie season in which he recorded 50 points in 57 games while averaging over 21 minutes per night. The 21-year-old's efforts recently earned him a Calder Trophy nomination.

The Avalanche finished the regular season as the second seed in the West so will participate in a round robin with the conference's other the top four teams rather than competing in a best-of-five playoff series. Colorado officially returns to action Aug. 2 in a matchup versus the top-seeded St. Louis Blues.

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John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators are the 2019-20 finalists for the Norris Trophy, the NHL announced Monday.

The James Norris Memorial Trophy is voted upon annually by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and awarded to the defenseman who "demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."

Carlson, who led all blue-liners with 75 points in 69 games this season, is a first-time finalist. The 30-year-old is looking to become the first Capitals player to win it since Rod Langway did so in 1982-83 and 1983-84.

Hedman produced the third-most points among players at his position this season with 55 in 66 contests. The 29-year-old claimed this honor in 2017-18 and finished third in voting in both 2016-17 and 2018-19. He's the first player to be voted as a finalist in four straight years since fellow countryman Nicklas Lidstrom accomplished the feat from 2006-09.

Josi ranked second among rearguards with 65 points this season while logging the third-most ice time per game (25:47) among defensemen. The 30-year-old has never taken home the hardware, finishing as high as fifth in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

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Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, Sean Couturier of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues are the NHL's 2019-20 Selke Trophy finalists, the league announced Monday.

The Frank J. Selke Trophy is voted upon annually by the Professional Hockey Writers Association and awarded to the forward "who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game."

Bergeron is up for the award for a record ninth time, and if he wins, he'll be the only player in NHL history to win the Selke five times. The Bruins' pivot earned the honor in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017, and has a good shot to win it again after posting 56 points in 61 games this season while averaging nearly 19 minutes per night against top competition.

Couturier is a finalist for the second time in his career after being the runner-up to Anze Kopitar in 2018. The Flyers' star had 59 points in 69 games, winning 59.7% of his draws, and owning a sterling five-on-five Corsi For rating of 57.2%.

O'Reilly won the award last year, and followed up with another strong season at both ends. The Blues' top-line center had 61 points in 71 games, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. O'Reilly also won 56.6% of faceoffs, and was seventh in the NHL with 69 takeaways.

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A former NHL sniper is the KHL's newest bench boss.

Kunlun Red Star named Alexei Kovalev its new head coach, the club announced Monday.

Kovalev spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Chinese club. Prior to joining Kunlun, he severed as general manager of Swiss team Visp.

The 47-year-old racked up 430 goals and 1,029 points in 1,316 NHL games, winning the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994.

He spent parts of nine seasons with the Rangers, parts of six campaigns with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and five with the Montreal Canadiens, as well as shorter stints with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, with whom he finished his NHL career in 2012-13.

Kunlun joined the KHL in 2016-17. Red Star made the playoffs in their inaugural season - losing in the opening round in five games - but have failed to reach the postseason since then.

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Toronto Maple Leafs superstar and quasi-fashion icon Auston Matthews is looking forward to ditching the traditional pregame suit and tie when the NHL officially returns.

As part of the CBA, players are ordered to wear a suit and tie on game days "unless otherwise specified by the head coach or general manager." The NHL is the only major professional sports league in North America that follows such a strict dress code.

However, a relaxed dress code is one of the small rule changes the NHL and NHLPA agreed to for the league's return-to-play plan, and Matthews believes players will be able to showcase their personalities better.

"I'm really looking forward to it, honestly," Matthews told TSN's Kristen Shilton on Sunday. "It'll be a pretty cool opportunity for guys to express themselves like other leagues are able to. At times, hockey can kind of fall behind as far as that stuff goes."

Matthews has been outspoken about his fashion interests throughout his professional career, even appearing in GQ Magazine in 2018.

The Maple Leafs, the 8-seed in the Eastern Conference, are matched up against the Columbus Blue Jackets in their best-of-five play-in series, which is slated to begin Aug. 2 in Toronto.

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Marc-Andre Fleury is welcoming the opportunity to compete for the Vegas Golden Knights' starting role with Robin Lehner.

The club hasn't yet settled on who might start once the playoffs begin.

"(Peter DeBoer) is the coach. Whatever he decides, I'm good with," Fleury told NHL.com's Danny Webster. "At the end of the day, all that matters is winning, that's why we're all here. Playoffs come and you have to be selfless and do what is right for the team. I just want to win, it doesn't matter how it is ... We'll see how it goes."

Fleury has been the Golden Knights' No. 1 goalie since their inaugural season in 2017, but Vegas acquired Lehner - who posted better numbers across the board this season - in a surprise move at the trade deadline.

Lehner only made three appearances with Vegas before the shutdown, winning each of them with a .940 save percentage and 1.67 goals against average.

"It's a great luxury for us," DeBoer said. "I'm not going to be afraid to play either. I don't know what that'll look like. Maybe it'll be one guy starting the majority, or we'll go back and forth. I'm going to keep an open mind on this because of the situation and the fact we have two great goalies."

During the 2016 playoffs with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Fleury was replaced by Matt Murray when the club won the Stanley Cup. He was the backup again when they repeated in 2017.

As the third seed in the Western Conference, Vegas is set to participate in a round robin with the rest of the top four teams to determine their rank in the traditional 16-team playoff bracket. The Golden Knights have an exhibition versus the Arizona Coyotes on July 30, then kick off their round-robin schedule Aug. 3 against the Dallas Stars.

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