The Montreal Canadiens were dealt a devastating blow on Monday as goaltender Carey Price has been ruled out for the remainder of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers. Canadiens coach Michel Therrien broke the news to reporters.
“We’ve lost our best player, but we’ve faced adversity this year already,” Therrien said.
Price appeared to injure his lower body during Saturday’s 7-2 Game 1 loss against the Rangers when Chris Kreider collided with him. He was pulled after allowing four goals on 20 shots in two periods. Therrien admitted the team is upset about the play.
“I’m really disappointed,” he added. “Obviously he’s our best player. Looking at the incident, it’s a reckless play. That’s the truth.”
Therrien did not say who would start for the Canadiens in Game 2, with his options being Peter Budaj and Dustin Tokarski. Budaj gave up three goals on five shots after taking over for Price in Game 1.
Obviously, this could be the worst thing to happen to Montreal. Price was dominant against the Boston Bruins last round and has been lights out for most of the postseason. You could argue that he was the best player on the ice for the Canadiens.
