Weber, Price ready for Game 1
MONTREAL — Head coach Dominique Ducharme is “very, very confident” that captain Shea Weber will be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Montreal Canadiens’ playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto.
On Tuesday morning, Weber took part in his first full practice with the team since missing the last eight games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. Tony Marinaro of TSN 690 Radio, who has a history of being correct when it comes to reporting on Canadiens injuries, reported last Friday that Weber has ligament damage in his left thumb that will require surgery at the end of the season.
Weber was paired with Jon Merrill at practice Tuesday, while Alexander Romanov was bumped off the top three defence pairings. Ducharme confirmed Romanov won’t be in the lineup for Game 1, joining Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield as healthy scratches.
“I mean anything can happen,” Ducharme said after practice when asked about Weber’s status. “But it was important for him and for us to see him back on the ice today. Everything went well and tomorrow he’s going to take another step in that direction. We’re very confident that he’s going to be 100-per-cent ready to play. He’s such a pro. He did everything that he needed to do on and off the ice, even though he was not with the team, getting ready for that moment. For him, that time of the year, playing in the playoffs is huge and he wants to be part of it. Not only that, his situation with the injury is in control so we’re happy to have him with us. Unless anything happens in the next day or so, yeah, he’s going to be in.”
Weber played 48 games this season, posting 6-13-19 totals and a minus-4 while trying to play through his injury that happened at the start of a Western Canada road trip near the end of April.
Paul Byron spoke after practice about how Weber can still be an effective player even when he’s not 100-per-cent healthy.
“His body positioning, the way he defends the hockey game,” Byron explained. “I think he’s got elite-level IQ on the ice and he reads the play really well. He can gap up, he plays hard and for him I think getting some of that rest time you’re going to see a little bit of a new player. It’s crazy how different you can feel from not playing for a few weeks, three weeks. You’re so excited to play in the game and not drained, not fatigued. I know Shea’s an incredible player, he a warrior, competitor, competitive. He’s going to be ready to go. He’s our captain for a reason and he’s going to lead our ship.”
Corey Perry and Weber have been teammates in the past at the international level with Team Canada, winning Olympic gold medals together in 2010 and 2014. Perry says the Weber he sees now as a teammate with the Canadiens is the same type of guy he was back then.
“It’s the exact same,” Perry said. “He hasn’t changed a bit. He’s laughing in the room, he’s joking around, but then when it’s time to be serious everybody listens to him when he has something to say. He leads by example on the ice, he says some things off the ice when it needs to be said. He’s the exact same person and I don’t expect anything different.
“He’s the guy that wants to be on the ice in every situation,” Perry added. “He competes, he wants to win. He battles for that place on the ice and the room that you have on the ice. I know when that puck drops, he’ll be ready and he’ll be anxious to get going again.”
PRICE READY TO GO
Ducharme also said Carey Price will be ready to go for Game 1 after missing the last 13 games of the regular season with a concussion.
Price played two periods with the AHL’S Laval Rocket Monday night at the Bell Centre, allowing two goals on 15 shots in a 2-0 loss to the Toronto Marlies. The Marlies scored on two of their first four shots on Price.
“We’re really happy with him getting that playing time and getting those game situations,” Ducharme said. “It was great for him to get that time.”
Price has played only four periods with the Canadiens since April 1. He missed six games with a lower-body injury before suffering the concussion in the first period of his second game back.
Price finished the season with a 12-7-5 record, a 2.64 goalsagainst average and a .901 save percentage.