Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price has been placed on injured reserve

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price exited after the second period of a game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. Much like Price, he’ll more than certainly stop the pucks that he sees. “You’re up there for a little bit and you get a couple games and you get to a point where you’re started to feel good and comfortable in an National Hockey League situation…a guy like Henrik Lundqvist is pretty tough to replace, and he comes back and you get sent down and there’s an edge just to stay at that level and be at that level”. New Jersey recorded all but four of its 28 shots after the first period Wednesday but managed only Adam Henrique’s team-leading 10th goal in a 2-1 loss to Columbus.

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien confirmed on Thursday that the team has placed Price on injured reserve and isn’t sure how long he’ll be out. Two of the four regulation losses they’ve suffered this season have been delivered by the Canadiens.

On Wednesday night, the coach said the lower-body injury was the same one that kept Price out for nine games earlier this season.

To have a solid number one is obviously every team’s goal but to have a number two goaltender who can come in and still give you a chance to win is big also. Cam Talbot is going to be a free agent in July and hasn’t been everything the Edmonton Oilers hoped, but we saw how he played behind a strong Rangers team last season. The last time out, the Habs blanked the Rangers by a score of 3-0, though Rick Nash’s recent awakening might be an important factor to consider when analyzing the relative ease with which the Habs won their last meeting.

New York Yankees pitcher Lefty Gomez famously said he would rather be lucky than good, but so far this season, the New York Rangers have been both.

Still, the Rangers’ concern right now is not the standings, it’s getting back to the way they want to play.

Montreal would double their lead in the second period off a goal from an open Devante Smith-Pelly at the top of the crease, who just came off the bench.

“Miller and Hayes are young players that we have high expectations for them”.

Smith-Pelly got his first at 2:25 of the second period. Vigneault was considering inserting Emerson Etem for Viktor Stalberg as the fourth-line right wing and Dylan McIlrath on defense, saying, “I wanted Emerson and Dylan to get some normal reps…so I can have that option for [Friday]”.

Of the Canadiens’ five goals, only Galchenyuk’s bad-angle goal in the third period could not be pinned on poor defensive coverage by the Rangers. Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi got his stick on a pass around the back of the Rangers’ net by Plekanec, but it only slowed the puck down.