Canadians Lose Goalie Carey Price for Six Weeks

The Montreal Canadians are having a fine start to their 2015-16 NHL regular season. The Canadians are first in the Atlantic division and in the Eastern Conference with 39 points. Montreal is 18-4-3 on the season.

However, on Monday the team announced that its goaltender Carey Price has a lower-body injury that will keep him off the ice for at least six weeks.

It is expected that Price will miss a minimum of 16 games, with the slight chance he would return on January 1 for the Winter Classic if he were able to heal quickly.

Players for the Canadians told reporters how important Price was to the team but stressed that none of the other teams would be giving the team any sympathy.

Players stressed that they all had to pick up their own games to help the team with its loss of Price in net. Price, who was injured back on October 29 in a loss to Edmonton, will not need any surgery.

Price returned to action on November 20 in a win against the New York Islanders and played November 22 against the Islanders at home, but had to leave a game on November 25 against the New York Rangers when he aggravated the same injury.

In 14 games played this season as a backup to Price, Mike Condon a rookie, is 8-2-3 with a goals against average of 2.19 and  a save percentage of .916.

In the 9 games that Price sat out between October 29 and November 20, the rookie was 5-2-2 with a GAA of 2.31 and a save percentage of .909.

Mark Bergevin the general manager for Montreal said he would not look for another goalie yet.

Bergevin said he does not discuss team transactions, but the team was very comfortable with Condon between the pipes.

Bergevin said the team had a number of strong goalies in its system, but if three goalies go down hurt, that is an entirely different story.

Bergevin also said he was convinced by the doctors as well as trainers on the team that Price had not returned too early from the injury on October 29.

The GM said he understood people asking the question if Price returned too early, but knows that was not the case.

Price was the Ted Lindsay, Vezina, Hart and Jennings trophies winner last season. He also was the first NHL goaltender in league history to win the four awards for the same season.