Habs’ Price shuts door on Penguins
Veteran still the best goaltender in NHL
Turns out, Carey Price isn’t washed up after all.
No one actually thought he was. But after two straight years of missing the playoffs, of having a save percentage that sometimes hovered around the .900 mark, it was easy to buy into the narrative that the goalie who had won the Vezina and Hart Trophies five long years ago wasn’t good enough, somehow, to be in net the next time Canada sent Nhlers to the Olympics.
Some said he was overpaid. Others called him overrated. There was even talk that he should be traded while he still had value. Price heard all this.
Going into the qualification-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he knew his Montreal Canadiens were the underdogs. He knew that the only reason the team was here was because the NHL had expanded the post-season to 24 teams.
He also knew some Montreal fans were secretly hoping the team would lose, just so they would have a chance at winning the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft lottery.
“We all took it with a grain of salt,” he said. “We just tried to go out there and prove everybody wrong.”
Mission accomplished. With Price stopping all 22 shots he faced in a 2-0 shutout win in Game 4 on Friday, Montreal advanced past Pittsburgh 3-1 in a best-of-five series.
The Canadiens will now play the winner of Saturday’s game between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
“Obviously, this is a big opportunity,” said defenceman Shea Weber. “Even coming into this qualifier we knew that we got a second chance here, a little bit of a second life, given where we were when the season was over. And now it’s official. We’re in the playoffs now.”
They’re in because of Price. If you had harboured any doubts that the 32-year-old was still the best goalie in the NHL, you shouldn’t anymore.
In four games against Pittsburgh, he allowed just seven goals. Sidney Crosby had two of them.
The worst part — at least for Pittsburgh — is how easy he made it look. There wasn’t a single highlight-reel save that Price made on Friday. He didn’t stand on his head.
Price stopped 39 of 41 shots in Game 1. He made 35 saves in Game 2 and another 30 in Game 3. By the time Game 4 rolled round, Pittsburgh’s shooters looked shell-shocked.
“Just having him back there, he’s the backbone for us,” said Weber. “He’s just so solid every night and allows us to play with confidence and not be worried about giving up chances.”