The Montreal Canadiens have announced that star goaltender Carey Price is on IR retroactive to December 22 with a lower-body injury and will not travel with the team to Florida. At the moment, the severity of the injury is unknown.
Canadiens Carey Price Out With Lower-Body Injury
Price had practiced with the team on Thursday but left early. The team then announced that he was dealing with a lower-body injury and will not make the team’s upcoming road trip.
In 30 games this season, Price holds a record of 15-10-4 with a goals against average of 2.84 and a .904 save percentage. He has also recorded one shutout.
Over his career, Price has a record of 301-211-66 with a goals against average of 2.48 and a save percentage of .918. He also has 41 career shutouts.
Unfortunate News for Price and the Canadiens
Although the severity of the injury has yet to be determined, the Canadiens and their fans will certainly have their fingers crossed and that Price won’t be sidelined long. Price missed all but 12 games in the 2015-16 NHL season with an MCL sprain so the fact that the injury is a lower-body injury is quite concerning. Hopefully, for the Canadiens, this injury is minor and nothing to do with the same MCL that ended Price’s season in 2015-16.
The Canadiens currently hold the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. They will need their star goaltender in the lineup if they want to have any hope in making the playoffs this season.
With Price out, Antti Niemi will move into the starting role. So far this season, Niemi holds a record of 4-3-1 with a goals against average of 4.14 and a save percentage of .876.
Michael McNiven has been recalled from the Laval Rocket, as Charlie Lindgren is currently dealing with injury issues of his own.
The Canadiens will visit the Florida Panthers on Friday night.
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