Written by Steven Ellis, AllHabs.net

 

TORONTO, ON. — In profesional sports,  star athletes struggle from time. It’s common. Jimmie Johnson can’t win every single NASCAR championship. You cant expect Jose Bautista to get you 500 home runs a game. Alex Ovechkin can’t get 50 goals year in and year out. And Carey Price can’t single handedly win all 82 games without help.

Right now, its not a great time to be a Montreal Canadiens fan. Montreal has won only one game (against Winnipeg), lost four, and came up short in overtime twice (including last night against Toronto). During this mess, Carey Price has been the best player by far for Montreal, making incredible stops every game and saving the team from total embarrassment. In terms of offense, grinder Travis Moen (yes, I know) is tied with Max Pacioretty, Andrei Kostitsyn and Tomas Plekanec for the team lead with five points.

As you all know, Price had a magnificent season in 2010-’11. Price was arguably the best goaltender in the league, racking up 38 wins (tied for most in the league) and eight shutouts, with a 2.35 goal against average (GAA), and .923 save percentage (SV%.) But that’s old news now. This year, he has the only win for Montreal, with  3.13 GAA and .878 SV%. These aren’t the numbers of a Vezina trophy candidate. His stats don’t reflect at all the way he has played this season, saving Montreal’s bacon, each and every game, despite only notching one win.

Price made some stellar stops last night, but some defensive lapses cost the team dearly, resulting in a 5-4 overtime win for Toronto. He struggled against Colorado last week, but other then that he has been quite solid.  Price played well in his first two outings by stopping 46 of 49 shots against Toronto and Winnipeg. He earned his 99th win with a 30-save performance in a 5-1 victory over Winnipeg on Oct. 9 but hasn’t enjoyed much success since. He is still searching for his 100 career win, something King’s goaltender Jonathan Quick was able to do two nights ago, and Pekka Rinne will do once he gets his next win.

If you are Jacques Martin, do you give backup goalie Peter Budaj a chance against the Florida Panthers on Monday, a game they can’t lose? Obviously Price hasn’t been able to save the team through injuries and a weak offense, so a change can’t be too bad. I’m not saying in any way that Budaj is a better goalie than Price, because even though Budaj had his moments in Colorado, there is no question that Price is the better choice between the two of them. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Price a break, because if he gets injured during the season, they will require the services of Budaj. Price has played all seven games; Budaj has only seen the ice during warm ups.

Next week, Montreal faces Florida, Philadelphia and Boston. What Martin should do is have Budaj play Florida, the weakest of the three opponents, and have Price try for number 100 against the Flyers and Bruins. Price has had some success against the Bruins in the past, so that’s a no-brainer. Florida is a weak team with not much in terms of offense, but currently sits ahead of Montreal in the standings (everyone except for Columbus are ahead of Montreal).

Some thought that Budaj  would have received his first start during last Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche, his former team, or against Buffalo, where he is 3-1 with a 1.84 GAA and .933 SV%  in his career. In six NHL seasons, Budaj recorded 101 wins, including nine by shutout, in 242 regular season games with the Avalanche since he joined the NHL in 2005-2006. The 6’1″, 200 lbs. goaltender maintained a 2.83 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Budaj had a career high 31 wins in 57 games with the Avalanche in 2006-’07. Nothing spectacular, but Colorado was a weak team during his time in Denver.  Budaj, who is 28, played a total of 45 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2010-11. He posted a record of 15 wins, 21 losses and 4 overtime losses.

Budaj would be in a similar situation roster-wise on Monday, unless they make a deal before the game. Who knows? Maybe Price had a fluke season last year, and Peter Budaj is actually the starter Montreal is looking for. Okay, that probably won’t happen, but remember the 2009-2010 Boston Bruins? Tim Thomas started the number one goalie in Boston after winning the Vezina Trophy the previous year, but sat on the bench while Tuuka Rask stood between the pipes. I`m not saying that Price can`t get the job done, but if he gets too tired by playoff time, the Habs may be in trouble. Budaj is a goalie capable of winning games, so give him the chance.

Follow me on twitter, @StevenEllisNHL.