The NHL has postponed the Calgary Flames' next three games after six players and a staff member entered the league's COVID-19 protocol over a 24-hour period.

The Flames announced Monday morning that forwards Elias Lindholm, Andrew Mangiapane, Brad Richardson and Adam Ruzicka and defencemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov were in the protocol.

Postponed games include Monday night's game at Chicago, Tuesday's game at Nashville and Thursday's home game against Toronto.

The league said in a release that the games were postponed due to concern with continued spread and the likelihood of additional positive cases.

The Flames' training facilities have been closed until further notice.

Calgary is the third team this season to have games postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. Last month, the Ottawa Senators had three games postponed and the New York Islanders had two games postponed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press