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Montreal Canadiens

Price Travels To New York To Be Medically Evaluated, Not To Play

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Montreal Canadiens

The Carey Price comeback attempt took anther interesting turn on Tuesday. Following practice Tuesday morning, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Price would in fact, now be traveling with the team to New York City but not to dress or play; rather to go see a doctor for further medical evaluation.

 

This latest news on Carey Price came just 48 hours after the team announced that Price would not dress (as a backup) for what turned out to be a 5-3 Canadiens loss to the Boston Bruins Sunday night or for his next scheduled start against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The original plan was for Carey Price to stay behind in Montreal on Tuesday when his team headed south to the Big Apple, but obviously something happened or was discovered that has prompted Carey Price to accompany his teammates on their last road trip of the 2021-22 regular season. The Canadiens will then close their season out on Friday against the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre.

Also, it should be noted that when he addressed the media late Sunday afternoon and just prior to the game against the Bruins, Canadiens interim head coach Martin St. Louis said that as far as he knew, Price wasn’t being held back due to his surgically repaired knee.

“I mean I don’t think so, you’d have to talk to the medical staff on that but I think for us, we felt where the amount of games he’s played, give him a break without the travel and then hopefully get him ready for Friday,” St. Louis replied when asked Price had experienced this setback due to the knee he had surgery for last summer.

Speaking to the media after practice Tuesday, Canadiens forward Josh Anderson didn’t seem too worried at first about Carey Price.

“I think it’s just an update,” Anderson said of Carey Price. “We all go through that when you come back from a serious injury and I think it’s just an update.”

However, when pressed once again about how he and his teammates are feeling as they watch Carey Price experience even more setbacks, Anderson admitted it’s difficult and he and his teammates can’t help but worry at times.

“You’re talking about Carey Price here, one of the best goalies in the game and ever to play, so obviously you’re a bit worried but I’m sure it’s going to be OK,” Anderson acknowledged.

After Anderson spoke, interim head coach Martin St. Louis addressed the media and once again tried to quell the speculation surrounding his star goalie.

“I thought it was a big plus for him to fight and get back from a long year of dealing with his injury,” St. Louis said. “But we knew that it wasn’t just going to be smooth sailing. There’s possibilities and I think that’s where we’re at and that’s why he’s getting looked at.”

The first-year coach was then asked if he’s had a pow-wow with general manager Kent Hughes and vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton about Price’s situation?

“It’s not my job. I’m coaching the team. I’ll let them do their job. They have to deal with that,” St. Louis said.

While the Canadiens – who have now lost nine straight games – have certainly not been good in front of him, Price has struggled. He’s 0-4-0 with a 4.03 GAA and .853 save percentage, allowed six goals in two straight games and has let in 16 goals on 119 shots. When Carey Price returned to start in a 3-0 loss to the New York Islanders on April 15 – and even more so when he stopped 28 of 30 Minnesota Wild shots in a 2-0 Montreal Canadiens loss – he did look somewhat like the Price that Montreal Canadiens fans have become accustomed to and fallen in love with for the last ten seasons, especially during the Habs’ improbable run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final last summer. However, in his last two starts he has clearly not been himself.