BROSSARD, Quebec -- Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will miss at least the next six weeks because of a lower-body injury that will not require surgery, the Canadiens announced Monday.
Price originally was injured Oct. 29 during a 4-3 loss at the Edmonton Oilers and did not return until Nov 20, a 5-3 win at the New York Islanders. He played the return leg of the home and home with the Islanders on Nov 22 and started at the New York Rangers on Nov. 25. But he left that game after the second period when he aggravated the original injury.
Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said Price did not return from the previous injury too early.
"When it did happen I was wondering if he came back too quick," Bergevin said. "But based on our doctors, based on Carey, based on everything we have … it was not the reason that he got injured, that he came back too quick. But I understand the question; you always wonder if that was the case. We looked into it deeply after and that was not the case."
Rookie Mike Condon, 25, is 8-2-3 with a 2.19 GAA and .916 save percentage in 14 games this season as Price's backup. During Price's previous absence Condon went 5-1-2 with a 2.31 GAA and .909 save percentage in eight games.
Dustin Tokarski, who was Price's backup last season but lost that job to Condon during training camp, will serve as Condon's backup. Tokarski has played one game this season, making 11 saves in relief of Condon on Nov. 14 against the Colorado Avalanche.
Bergevin said the Canadiens currently are not looking to the trade market for goaltending help and they will ride Condon and Tokarski as long as they can. Bergevin suggested that it's possible that prospect Zachary Fucale could be called up from the American Hockey League at some point. Fucale, 20, is in his first professional season; he was a second-round pick (No. 36) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
After having very few significant injuries to deal with last season the Canadiens now are being tested, with forward Brendan Gallagher also out until early January because of two fractured fingers on his left hand.
"We're going to go with Mike and Dustin and we'll see what the character of this team is," Bergevin said. "I believe in our character. Every team in the NHL goes through periods without key players. Last season we were very lucky. But this year it will be a part of the evaluation of our character as a team. There's no need for us to panic over this."
The six-week timeline announced by the Canadiens on Monday means Price would be out until Jan. 11, or 10 days following the 2016 NHL Bridgestone Winter Classic against the Boston Bruins at Gillette Stadium, which is about a 20-minute from Condon's hometown of Holliston, Mass.
Last season Price won the Hart, Vezina and Jennings trophies as well as the Ted Lindsay Award. He is 10-2-0 with a 2.06 goals against average and .934 save percentage in 12 games this season.
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