Habs beat Flyers behind closed doors at Bell Centre as COVID-19 cases spike in Quebec

The Montreal Canadiens hosted thePhiladelphia Flyers behind closed doors at the Bell Centre on Thursday night,at the request of Quebec health officials.

"We have accepted this request to ensure the health and safety of our supporters and communities,"the Habs said in a news release late Thursday afternoon.

The announcement came less thantwo hours before the game was set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

The Canadiens would go on to defeat the Flyers 3-2 as Jonathan Drouin served as the only scorer in a shootout.

The team added that an update aboutSaturday's game against Boston will be made on Friday.

It was also announced that the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Laval Rocket, wouldplayits home game against the Providence Bruins without spectators on Friday.

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Currently, vaccine passports are required to attend large sporting events in Quebec, and face coverings are supposed to be worn at all times. There is no capacity limit set. The Bell Centre can seat more than 21,000 fans.

The release says the team has been assuredthat games will return to partial capacity in January.

"We hope that this rigour and this collective effort will ensure that we can come together again in the near future in 2022," the release said.

On Thursday, the province reported 2,736 new cases itshighest daily total recorded since Jan. 3, when Quebec was plunged in the virus's second wave.

Premier Franois Legault is holding a news conference at 6 p.m. to announce measures to slow the virus's spread.

On Wednesday, the province reported2,386 new infections. The seven-day rolling average for cases hasjumped to 2,035.

In the last week, the number of people in Quebec hospitals due to COVID-19 has gone from 255 to 309.