Carey Price injury update: Canadiens star out for season opener
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will be out for the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
The Montreal Canadiens’ 2015-16 season began to go downhill once star goaltender Carey Price got injured in November. They were expecting him to be back and ready to play for the start of the 2016-17 NHL season. However, Canadiens fans will have to wait at least one more game to see Price play, as he will miss the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres thanks to a bad case of the flu.
Carey Price will not accompany #Habs to Buffalo for season opener. Missing practice again today, out sick. #TSN690
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 12, 2016
Expect the Canadiens to turn to backup goaltender Al Montoya in net to start the season. While it’s a bit concerning Price won’t be traveling with the team, it sounds like the team expects him to start on Saturday Oct. 15 against the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres were among the lowest scoring teams in the NHL last season, so the Canadiens should be fine with Montoya in net.
Price won the Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy during the 2014-15 season. Before his injury, he was posting even better numbers than he did in his 2014-15 season. Last season, the Canadiens didn’t have a proper replacement for Price, but after bringing in Montoya, they should be fine if Price is out short-term. The Canadiens will likely call up a goaltender to serve as the backup in case of an emergency.
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Montoya spent last season with the Florida Panthers and had a .919 save percentage in 25 games (22 starts). While he’s certainly an upgrade over Mike Condon, he isn’t Price. Price has a career .920 percent save percentage. Over his past three seasons, Price has a .930 percent save percentage, saving 3,858 out of the 4,146 shots he has faced. He missed all but 12 games last season with a groin injury which he re-aggravated in November.