The Montreal Canadiens aren’t scheduled to play again at home until Wednesday, but Carey Price will be there waiting. The star goaltender has returned to Montreal to receive further treatment for his concussion. On Tuesday, head coach Dominique Ducharme ruled out Price for at least a week, but with a concussion, the return timeline is always a little hazy.
For the first time since assuming head-coaching duties, Ducharme did not announce his lineup decisions to the media ahead of Saturday night’s game at Calgary, but he had said he hoped to get Cayden Primeau into one of the games against the Flames. Jake Allen played (and lost) Friday, meaning it would be the obvious time for Primeau’s season debut. The 21-year-old appeared in two NHL games last season but has been limited to just AHL duty this time around. With Price out, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do, even if it is in a limited role behind Allen.
The more important question is whether Price will be healthy for the playoffs, which are just a few weeks away. The team has just 10 games remaining after Saturday night, meaning there isn’t a lot of time for him to make it through this concussion period and then get back up to speed. With Allen already outplaying Price all season, Ducharme is going to have quite the decision on his hands should the Canadiens hold onto the final playoff spot.
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