MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price will be back in uniform when the Florida Panthers visit the Bell Centre on Monday.
The 30-year-old, who missed Montreal’s last 13 games with a concussion, will back up Antti Niemi against the Panthers and could be back in the starter’s role as early as Wednesday — when the Canadiens take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh.
It was in the second period of a 3-2 overtime loss in Philadelphia on Feb. 20 that Price took a slapshot from Flyers defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere off the side of his head. He doubled over and was attended to by Canadiens trainer Graham Rynbend before shaking it off and completing the game with 30 saves.
Price told reporters last Friday that concussion symptoms didn’t present themselves until the following morning.
It was just over a week ago that Price resumed skating on his own, and it was on Thursday of last week that he returned to practice. On Friday he said he’d “like to finish the season strong and end it on a positive note,” and then he travelled with the Canadiens to Toronto but did not dress for their 4-0 loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Price has a 15-22-6 record, a .904 save percentage and a 2.98 goals-against average this season. His return to action forced the Canadiens to return goaltender Charlie Lindgren to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on Monday.
Lindgren, who was with the Canadiens on emergency recall, went 1-4-1 and put up an .889 save percentage in Price’s absence.
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