The task for the Montreal Canadiens to claw out of a 1-0 series hole in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers has become even more daunting. Coach Michel Therrien announced Monday that goaltender Carey Price will miss the remainder of the series with a lower-body injury following a collision with Rangers forward Chris Kreider in Game 1 on Saturday.
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According to ESPN, Price will not return to the crease this series after he was removed from Game 1 shortly after being run into by New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider. Therrien originally said the incident was a clean play, but he changed his tune on Monday when he realized Price would be done for the series. The coach even put Kreider's intent in question.
"We've lost our best player, but we've faced adversity this year already," Therrien said per ESPN. "Looking at the incident, it's a reckless play. That's the truth. And Kreider, this is not the first time he's going at goalies. You end up losing your best player. But our group has faced a lot of adversity throughout the course of the season. We've got the attitude to respond really well and this is what I'm expecting starting tonight."
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The speedy Kreider was on a breakaway when he lost his edge and crashed into Price in the net during Game 1 on Saturday. Price looked shaken up following the collision but ended up staying in for the remainder of the second period. Price was then pulled for backup Peter Budaj to start the third period after yielding four goals on 20 shots in the first two frames. .
Budaj ended up surrendering three more goals to the Rangers, and New York took a 7-2 victory and 1-0 series lead at the Bell Centre in Montreal, a place that has been a house of horrors for the Blueshirts in recent years.
Therrien believed Kreider was being reckless.
"I'm really disappointed," Therrien said. "Obviously he's our best player. Looking at the incident, it's a reckless play. That's the truth."
It is likely that Budaj will get the start in net for Game 2, but Therrien didn't share his starter despite admitting he had one in mind already. 24-year-old Dustin Tokarski, who played 41 games in the American Hockey League this season, is the other option.
Several Canadiens players were upset with Kreider barreling into Price in Game 1, including ex-Ranger Brandon Prust, who received a 10-minute misconduct for trying to retaliate on Kreider.
"He went skates up first and he didn't do anything to turn his body or minimize [the contact]," Prust told the Daily News. "Whether it's on purpose or accidental, he ran him pretty hard. Everybody thinks it was accidental, but we call it accidentally on purpose."
The Canadiens will now have to navigate through the series without Price, who went 34-20-5 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage this season.and was 8-4 with a 2.35 GAA and a .919 save percentage this postseason.
The Rangers and Canadiens skate for Game 2 Monday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal where tensions will undoubtedly be high.
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