By Stevo, AllHabs.net

MONTREAL, QC. — In a game that saw the Carolina Hurricanes offer one of the worst hockey performances I’ve ever seen, Carey Price was good enough to pick up his first shutout of the season and record an assist, as he continues to improve his numbers following what critics have considered to be a slow start.

Some were critical of Carey Price in the early portion of the season, with the Canadiens struggling to pick up wins, and Carey Price barely able to keep his save percentage above .900%, but over the course of the month of November, Price’s game has come back around, and with every game, his confidence is growing.

Tonight, Price was not forced to have his best night, as Carolina had only 12 shots after two periods of play, and trailing 4-0 at that point (the eventual final score.) None-the-less, Price was forced to make a few big stops, and effectively used his puck-handing abilities to clear the puck several times out of his zone.

With tonight’s win, Carey Price’s goals against average (GAA) now sits at 2.29 (14th in the NHL), and his save percentage (SV%) at .913% (26th in the NHL).  His save percentage is more of an indication of the Montreal Canadiens’ young defence, of which many are still learning how to play North American hockey. Injuries have caused many of them to get more ice time then was really planned for them, and in other cases, getting their first chance to play in the NHL much earlier than many would have predicted.

Here are Carey Price’s stats so far this season, through 16 games:

Overall, this amounts to:

• Record: 7-6-3
• GAA: 2.29
• Sv%: 0.913%
• Shutouts: 1

Over the course of his last nine starts however, or ever since the Canadiens broke their early season losing streak, his stats look like this:

• Record: 6-2-1
• GAA: 2.00
• Sv%: 0.939%
• Shutouts: 1

If these were his season cumulative stats, he’d be top-five in just about every category. People should therefore not worry about his overall stats at the moment, but simply recognize that he’s back on the right track, and giving the Canadiens a chance to win every night.

What’s reassuring to me in his case is his overall body language in the net. He appears to have completely settled into his role of an NHL starting goaltender, and also appears to be dealing with the pressure of this position very well. He’s calm in his net, and this type of presence is reassuring for teammates, especially the young inexperienced defense corps.

Lately, his confidence has us believing the Canadiens can win every game, even though the team’s overall play doesn’t necessarily breath the same air.

Price is a big goalie in the net, covers a lot of space, and has strong legs that allow him to quickly move laterally, therefore he doesn’t need to spend much energy to quickly get across and make the stop. This is the goalie we have seen these past nine games.

When Price plays big and strong, it gives him the ability to stay square to the puck, even when moving laterally, while other smaller goaltenders, need to sprawl across, and result to what often ends up being a spectacular save followed by a juicy rebound, or a straight up goal. Price on the other hand is able to quickly recover in the event that there is a rebound, due to the fact he hasn’t put himself out of position on the initial shot.

Off the ice, he’s no longer that shy kid with the cap down covering his eyes in front of the journalists. Quite the opposite actually, as he holds is head high, speaks clearly, and doesn’t hesitate to tease his teammates through the media. Very calm and cool overall.

With every victory so very important, and because I have a personal rule that no goalie should ever sit after a shutout, I would be disappointed to see Peter Budaj get the start tomorrow against the Islanders in Long Island.  After all, would you sit a star forward following a game where he got a hat-trick? I think not.

Spare me the two games in two nights and one hour plane ride to New York, Carey Price should be in the net tomorrow — you should not put your star goaltender on the bench following his first shutout of the season. Tonight’s win was almost effortless for Price, and there’s no reason he should be tired for tomorrow’s game. Peter Budaj can play next week when the Canadiens play the Carolina Hurricanes once more.

On a side note, during his post-game press conference, Jacques Martin was asked about tonight’s shutout. In his response, Martin gave the credit to his team’s ability to play well defensively, especially without the puck. You would think he would have maybe mentioned Carey Price’s name? Nope. He didn’t. So Budaj to start tomorrow?

***** Update 17-Nov-2011 @ 17:10 *****

• Peter Budaj will be starting in goal for the Habs tonight.

Follow me on Twitter: @stevofarnham

(Video: nhl.com)