Ordinarily speaking, the return of any team's most important player from an extended absence should provide a considerable spark. But right now, the Montreal Canadiens are no ordinary team, and Carey Price's comeback to the crease on Saturday night isn't enough to completely fix what ails the 2017-18 Habs.
Price missed 10 games after attempting to play through an injury he suffered in warmups versus Minnesota on Nov. 2, and although Montreal tread enough water to earn four wins without him, the Canadiens have now lost five consecutive games, with their struggles going far beyond reliable goaltending.
Charlie Lindgren filled in admirably by posting a .924 save percentage across eight starts, and Montreal was actually able to salvage a point with Antti Niemi in goal - which should probably count as a win considering his anemic body of work this season. Yet, potential security between the pipes isn't some magic elixir poised to solve all of the Canadiens' problems, and with Price (hopefully) healthy again, the spotlight needs to be shifted elsewhere.
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
With Price shelved - a catastrophe so major in Montreal that his wife had to squash a rumor (yes, seriously) about her alleged desire to leave the city and her husband - the Canadiens scored 20 goals, good for 28th in the NHL. The power play operated at 16 percent (22nd), while the penalty kill only succeeded 74.2 percent of the time (24th). Over those 10 games, Joe Morrow, a defenseman with 78 NHL games to his credit, tied for the team lead in goals with three, more than each of Jonathan Drouin, Alex Galchenyuk, Phillip Danault, and Tomas Plekanec.
To put things succinctly: things have been bad.
Even though Price himself has put forth numbers below his all-world norm - .877 save percentage in 11 starts this season - he's the type of talent who's earned the benefit of the doubt in terms of being able to turn things around. It's his teammates who need to use his comeback as an opportunity to right the ship.
And it's as perfect a time there is for Montreal to do so, with the Atlantic Division being wide open. The Canadiens currently sit five points out of third place, despite being just three clear of last.
It's been a disastrous start for Montreal, but the chance to get on track is here and now, but it will take an entire team effort, not just No. 31.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.