The Montreal Canadiens announced that their game between the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night will be played behind closed doors.

The announcement came just two hours before puck drop.

The Canadiens said they received a request from Quebec public health officials to host Thursday's contest without fans due to the rise of COVID-19 cases in the province. The organization will provide an update Friday on the status of Saturday's game against the Boston Bruins.

The organization is planning to return to partial capacity beginning in January.

"Playing tonight's game in a closed setting is obviously disappointing for our fans," the team wrote in a statement that was released during the game.

"We moved forward with the measure following a request from Public Health ... something we accepted in order to help ensure the safety and security of our fans and our communities."

The Bell Centre was granted to operate at full capacity before the start of the regular season.

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