On this rather quiet little Monday in Brossard, it was Cédric Paquette who had the best answer about the possible return of Carey Price: “I think it’s going to be good, we need good news …”
Indeed, we can say that the Canadian needs that.
Good news is quite rare these days in the Montreal camp. So rare, in fact, that at the beginning of November, we cling to the return of a goalkeeper who has not played since July.
There are a lot of things we don’t know about this file, so let’s go with what we know: yes, Price is indeed back. That is to say that he was seen at the Brossard training center on Sunday by the team’s therapists, and that he will be back on Tuesday at the same place, but probably not on skates.
What is also known is that Price underwent knee surgery in July and that the condition of his knee remains a source of concern. “This is what we wanted to verify on Sunday,” admitted head coach Dominique Ducharme, who does not know the date of return to the game of the one who wears the number 31.
All this to confirm that, yes, Price is indeed back in town. But this is a gradual comeback, in a way. Obviously, the Canadian is not going to skip any stage in this file. Either way, the 30e The club’s place in the general classification indicates that now would be badly chosen for that.
“As far as Carey is concerned, there are going to be several stages,” added Ducharme. Among other things, there will be a period of fitness. We have already told him that he has our full support, and we will be having weekly discussions with him to try to determine the best possible plan. ”
Will the mere presence of the goalkeeper, even if he is not playing, be enough to allow this team to get back on track for success? The Canadian, as we recall, has only collected 3 wins in 13 games this season and has not been able to win 2 games in a row.
“His presence has a calming effect on the rest of the squad,” said defenseman Jeff Petry. I remember, when I first got here, it was something that I noticed pretty quickly: how much of a calming effect Carey has on the club. When you have a guy like that behind you, it has that effect on everyone. ”
But Price will not be able to do everything on his own, calming effect or not, and in the Canadian camp, we are beginning to understand that time is running out a bit.
We need to regain that confidence. We believe in us and we know that the results will follow when we start playing well.
Jeff petry
In this regard, Ducharme is encouraged by what he has seen recently, including during the games on Tuesday and Saturday. He said his club led the Vegas Golden Knights 23-7 in scoring opportunities on Saturday night. “If we play 100 times like that, we win 90, 92 or 95,” he insisted.
The Los Angeles Kings will be at the Bell Center on Tuesday night. Price will not be in goal and will not be able to lead his club to victory, but at the Canadian, we hope at least that his influence and his influence can do it.
This is a bit where we are with the Canadian: to hope. Maybe because that’s all that’s left.
“If we want to change things and chain victories, everyone has to contribute,” said Brendan Gallagher. It can’t be Carey or just one person. ”
Drouin still absent, Dvorak too
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Christian Dvorak and Jonathan Drouin
Dominique Ducharme swears there is no danger of concussion, but still: since receiving a puck to the head against Detroit last week, Jonathan Drouin has been absent. He missed Monday’s practice, and his case continues to be assessed on a day-to-day basis, according to Ducharme. Another name has been added to the list of cripples: that of Christian Dvorak, who also missed Monday’s training. Ducharme was unable to say if he would be able to play Tuesday night at the Bell Center.
Norlinder soon
Mattias Norlinder, recently ceded to the Laval Rocket for conditioning, will be eligible for a comeback after the Rocket game on Wednesday. That means the Canadiens will then have to add him to his roster and he could be eligible for Thursday night’s game at the Bell Center against Calgary. In the case of the young defenseman of only 21, it only seems a matter of time before he can play his first game with the Canadiens. “He will come back here and from there, we will make a decision, if and when we place him in the training,” explained Dominique Ducharme. Will it be Thursday, Saturday? We’ll see. ”