Canadiens Lineup

Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Josh Anderson

Rem Pitlick – Jake Evans – Joel Armia

Mike Hoffman – Christian Dvorak – Brendan Gallagher

Michael Pezzetta – Ryan Poehling – Paul Byron

Alexander Romanov – David Savard

Joel Edmundson – Jeff Petry

Corey Schueneman – Chris Wideman

Carey Price – Sam Montembeault

William Lagesson, Mathieu Perreault, Kale Clague, Laurent Dauphin, Tyler Pitlick, Jordan Harris

Jake Allen (lower-body), Justin Barron (lower-body), Jonathan Drouin (wrist), Carey Price (knee), Shea Weber (multiple injuries)

Game Report

It could have been the six starters from the Stanley Cup Final last July. But with the 2021-22 season winding down, the familiar voice of Michel Lacroix announced the names of Nick Suzuki, Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Jeff Petry, Joel Edmundson and finally Carey Price!

The Bell Centre erupted into chants of “CA-REY, CA-REY!” It wouldn’t be the last time.

It had been 282 days since Price’s last game and Habs fans let him know just how much he had been missed. Once the puck dropped, once again the crowd in unison cheered “CA-REY, CA-REY,” expressing all of the pent-up love for their Canadiens hero.

The Bell Centre crowd were only slightly more committed to cheering Price as booing Zdeno Chara each time he touched the puck.

The energy infected the home side as they dominated the first period. Yes, the Canadiens play differently in front of Carey Price. And the opposition does too. The Islanders were parsimonious in their shot selections, perhaps intimidated by their foe as so many others have acknowledged.

Price was sharp in his return. As detailed by analyst Marty Biron, Price checked off all the goalie boxes in terms of his crease depth, squareness to the shooter, and calculating his angles. We can add that his positioning, puck tracking and recovery was all top notch, not to mention his puck-handling.

Price is the only Canadiens goaltender who can consistently move the puck with success, making the job of his defencemen much easier.

Yes, it was a defenceman who coughed up the puck to the Islanders for their opening goal. The 3-on-0 break for the Isles was the turning point in the game. But this game won’t be defined by youthful mistakes or failures to finish.

It was a well-worn refrain: Price delivered but the skaters couldn’t score.

A Successful Return

The over-arching story was one of perseverance going back to the end of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on July 7, 2021.

Carey Price knew that his team had come just three wins shy of a Stanley Cup. What followed was his realization that Shea Weber wouldn’t be back with him, bailing out Marc Bergevin at the expansion draft, knee surgery and it’s setbacks and recovery from ill-sought coping mechanisms.

Price is the winningest goaltender in Canadiens history. He has had a sparkling career so far. But in the last nine months he has accomplished a great deal in order to return to the ice.

By completing the game tonight, especially given the way he played, Price delivered a huge victory for himself, for his family and for his teammates. And for the Habs fans who have faithfully supported him.

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