The Montreal Canadiens are locked in a heated battle in the standings, one which their loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night actually helps with. Trying to beat the Arizona Coyotes for last place, the return of Carey Price was considered by some to be concerning with respect to that quest.
Of course, if the Habs just refuse to score any goals for all of Price’s starts, that concern should evaporate rather quickly.
This complete lack of run support is the same problem that has been prevalent throughout Price’s tenure in Montreal. Even in some of their stronger seasons with Price between the pipes, they were never quite filing the net at the other end. I wonder if there is any comfort for him in returning and realizing how badly this team needs him to be at his best.
We’ve seen significant improvement since Martin St. Louis took over the bench, but there is still work to be done. If the Canadiens intend to retain Price through next season and beyond, they need to ensure that they can ice a team that can actually give him something to work with.
The good news is that he played well enough to win that game against the Wild. The better news for some is that they still didn’t win it, so it could help them get that first-overall pick to improve the roster.
Personally, I’d love to see them give him at least one of those high-octane offensive games before this season comes to an end.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available on your podcast platform of choice. Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers will visit the Bell Centre on Thursday night.
Podcast Highlights
Price’s blcoker/shoulder save
Carey Price looking dialed in early with the blocker/shoulder save. pic.twitter.com/4sRNioZ3np
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 19, 2022
Poor Tyler Pitlick
For sure this is getting called back. pic.twitter.com/tYCA2uN8Qs
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) April 20, 2022
That’s it. That’s literally all the highlights…
