Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said goaltender Carey Price will return to work on Monday at the Bell Sports Complex.
The team announced on Oct. 7 that Price had enrolled in the NHL Player Assistance Program and the NHL Players Association. In an Instagram post, Price’s wife, Angela, made a reference to the guardian’s need for a mental health recovery.
General manager Marc Bergevin stressed that Price’s absence would be for a minimum of 30 days.
On Friday, Ducharme was unable to predict when Price will be able to make a first start this season.
“He’s still recovering from (knee) surgery. We have to see where it is, Ducharme recalled. Then he will start in the gymnasium, then on the ice alone, then with the goalkeeper coach, then with the team. “
In the absence of Price, the team continues to tear it up. The Habs have won just three of their first 12 games of the season.
If the team had offered one of their strong performances of the season on Tuesday in a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings, members of the Montreal squad insisted that it was just a few mistakes that sank them. on Thursday in a 6-2 loss to the New York Islanders.
“We’re focusing on our game and our consistency,” forward Mike Hoffman said Friday. We have demonstrated at times the kind of hockey we can play, but it was more difficult at other times. Yesterday (Thursday) our work ethic was good, but we came up short. We have to avoid making small mistakes and play a full game. “
For his part, Ducharme refuted any theory that he asks too much of his players and that they fail to follow his game plan.
“If you look at yesterday, there are two things,” Ducharme said. There’s our way of coming back to our zone, which isn’t that much different than anywhere else in the league. But in two or three games out of maybe 40, we didn’t come back the right way and we paid the price. The other thing is our zone exits. We were up against a team that puts a lot of pressure. Our players may be in the right place, but reacting under pressure against a team like the Islanders takes good execution.
“I don’t think our players have to think too much on the ice. On the contrary, they know what to do and they create habits of it. Those who were there last season are finding their bearings and the new ones are progressing. It’s not that rocket science. “
The Canadian will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday for the first time since June 24, when the Habs knocked out their rivals in six games in the Stanley Cup semi-finals. Defenseman Ben Chiarot said, however, that it was nothing very special to find the Golden Knights on the ice.
“Our position in the standings is enough to motivate us,” he said.
Gallagher and Suzuki absent
Forwards Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki did not participate in training on Friday, instead enjoying a day of treatments.
Gallagher recently missed a game last Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks with an injury. He also temporarily left Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Ducharme has indicated that he expects them to be in uniform against the Golden Knights. Jonathan Drouin, hit in the head by a shot from his teammate Brett Kulak on Tuesday, could also participate in the meeting.
The news was less encouraging for defenseman Joel Edmundson. Ducharme claimed he would be back on the ice on Saturday, but if the situation did not improve the team would look for other options to help him recover from an injury the nature of which did not improve. has still not been disclosed.