Habs Report: Price To Start Third-Straight Game; Win It For Guy!

For the first time since returning to the Montreal Canadiens lineup on April 15 against the New York Islanders, Canadiens goalie Carey Price will make his third-straight start.

Price will be between the pipes at Canadian Tire Centre when the Montreal Canadiens face the Ottawa Senators for the final time this season (7 PM ET, City, SNE, TVAS). So far the Canadiens have been unable to help Price earn his first win of the season as they were shutout (3-0 to the Islanders, 2-0 to the Minnesota Wild) the first two games he started since last July and then lost 6-3 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Price stopped 17 of 19 shots he faced in the loss to the Isles; 28 of 30 shots he faced against the Wild and allowed six goals on 34 shots in the loss to the Flyers on Thursday night. This will be his first road start of the season. The Montreal Canadiens netminder is 0-3-0 with a 3.36 GAA and .880 save percentage.

-Obviously the last 24 hours-plus have been extremely emotional for the Montreal Canadiens organization after Habs legend and hall of famer Guy Lafleur passed away on Friday. So how will the Canadiens players deal with that emotion tonight and Sunday at the Bell Centre when they host the Boston Bruins?

“I spent the evening watching Guy Lafleur highlights last night, so I feel it. My coaching staff feels it, and I know the entire province feels it — when you talk about emotion,” acknowledged Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Martin St-Louis, who yesterday said ‘I lost my hero’ in the aftermath of Lafleur’s passing. “I think it will be an emotional night tomorrow [at home against the Bruins] as well, and Guy deserves to be in our thoughts right now. I’m sure it’s going to be an emotional weekend.”

“It’s sad news for all the people in Montreal, and actually the whole hockey world. It’s just tough news to hear,” Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson said after the game day skate Saturday.

The Canadiens have lost seven-straight games and would love to string together some wins by fueling the emotion for Lafleur.

“These games… you’ve got to find things to get excited for in every game. We always have a good game against Ottawa — they play us hard, we play them hard — and we’re looking forward to tonight,” Edmundson said. “Then obviously we’ll worry about Boston tomorrow, but that’s also another fun rivalry there.”

-If you recall, when the Montreal Canadiens and Senators last met in a 6-3 win for the Sens at the Bell Centre on April 6, Canadiens winger called Senators forward Tim Stützle out for embellishment at the end of the second period and overall as a player.

Not a good look for Nick Suzuki. He'll get a call from the league on this. pic.twitter.com/eFwDi6BWcU

— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 6, 2022

“When I was 10-years-old, our coach has a rule: If you lay on the ice and the trainers or the coach had to come on the ice to get you, you’re too hurt to play minimum next three shifts,” Gallagher explained and then ripped into Stützle. He’s a great player; I’ve played against him two, three years now. More than half the games we’ve played against him, he’s laid on the ice and is right back out there next shift. He lays on the ice; he acts like he’s hurt, he sells the call, he’s on the ice that same powerplay.

There’s kids watching, we’re role models, and if I was a teammate of his, I’d tell him to smarten up. It’s just not a good look. Very talented player; very good player. He just needs to stop laying on the ice. It’s embarrassing.”

So will the re be some bad blood between the two clubs tonight in the Nations’ capital?

“For me, I’ve been with the team for two-and-half to three months, I haven’t felt that personally but. …I think. …I don’t know but I think where we are in the schedule and both teams in the standings, I don’t know if there’s going to be bad blood tonight,” St. Louis replied when asked if anything could carry over from the last game. “I doubt it; I think we’re going to play hockey but physicality, emotion, it’s part of the game and sometimes the game gets directed in a certain way because of X, Y and Z but I don’t think we’re coming into this game with bad blood mentality.”

-Forward Michael Pezzetta skated on a line with Ryan Poehling and Tyler Pitlick at the game day skate and will return to the lineup Saturday night. On the backend, Jordan Harris skated in Kale Clague’s spot on a pairing with Chris Wideman and will be back in as well.

Forwards

Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki–Josh Anderson

Mike Hoffman-Christian Dvorak-Brendan Gallagher

Rem Pitlick-Jake Evans-Rafaël HArvey-Pinard

Mathieu Perreault-Ryan Poehling-Tyler Pitlick

Defence:

Alexander Romanov-David Savard

Joel Edmundson-Jeff Petry

Kale Clague-Chris Wideman

Goalies:

Carey Price

Sam Montembeault