Fansided

Carey Price injury update: Out against Ottawa Senators

By Dave Stevenson

Dec 15, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; 2015 Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price gives a press conference after receiving the 2015 Lou Marsh Memorial Award as the Canadian Athlete of the Year before the game between the San Jose Sharks and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; 2015 Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price gives a press conference after receiving the 2015 Lou Marsh Memorial Award as the Canadian Athlete of the Year before the game between the San Jose Sharks and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will not be playing on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators. 

On Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will square off in a battle between two unbeaten teams. The Canadiens will enter the game shorthanded, as star goaltender Carey Price will not be playing. Price will miss his second consecutive game due to the flu.

This gives the Senators a slight advantage in the game. Ottawa is coming off a 5-4 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Montreal is coming off an impressive 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Goaltender Al Montoya did a solid job against the Sabres, saving 30 of the 31 shots he saw. He will most likely get the start on Saturday, with Charlie Lindgren serving as the backup.

Price is arguably the best goalie in the NHL, so the Canadiens are a worse team without him. However, Montoya looked very good against the Sabres. Last season, the Canadiens had no competent replacement for Price. It appears this season is different. Montoya is a very solid backup with some nice career numbers. The Canadiens are likely being careful with Price, especially after his injury last season. Montreal learned its lesson last season about pushing their star goaltender when there is no reason to do so.

Related Story: NHL Season Preview

The Senators will need to be solid in net against the Canadiens. They allowed rookie Auston Matthews to score four goals on Wednesday, but their offense allowed them to overcome their defensive deficiencies. Montreal likely won’t let the Senators off the hook like the Maple Leafs did. Ottawa will likely go with Craig Anderson in net, with Andrew Hammond serving as the backup.

While it’s still very early in the season, Saturday’s game could be a very important one with both teams expecting to fight for a playoff spot.

Home/Montreal Canadiens