Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The NHL has postponed the Calgary Flames' next three games after the franchise had six players and a staff member enter the league's COVID-19 protocol within a 24-hour period.
The Flames announced Monday that forwards Elias Lindholm, Brad Richardson, Andrew Mangiapane and Adam Ruzicka and defensemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov were placed in the protocol.
Calgary's postponed games include Monday night's matchup at the Chicago Blackhawks, Tuesday's contest at the Nashville Predators and Thursday's home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The NHL said the games were pushed back due to concern about continued spread and the likelihood of additional cases. The Flames' training facilities were closed until further notice.
Calgary is the third NHL team this season to deal with postponements due to a coronavirus outbreak. Last month, the Ottawa Senators had three games postponed and the New York Islanders had two games postponed.
Later Monday, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that star forward Sebastian Aho, rookie center Seth Jarvis and a member of the training staff entered the NHL's COVID-19 protocols.
The club said all three will remain in Vancouver, where the Hurricanes suffered a 2-1 loss to the Canucks on Sunday. Aho missed that game with what the team initially said was an illness.
The Hurricanes played at Calgary on Thursday, earning a 2-1 win over the Flames in overtime.
No Hurricanes games have been impacted yet. Carolina is scheduled to play the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
