The Montreal Canadiens are off to a hot start, leading the Eastern Conference with 12 points—second best in the NHL behind Anaheim—while boasting a record of 6-1.Part of that success is due to the play of goaltender Carey Price, who looks to be in midseason form already.
Price helped the Canadiens hold onto a victory over the Colorado Avalanche with an absolutely brilliant toe save against Avs forward Matt Duchene, who basically had an open net to pop the puck into. Duchene found himself wide open, sneaking in the backdoor along the right wing where he received a cross-ice pass on his stick and quickly released a wrist shot on net. Unfortunately for Duchene, Price slid over in time and was just able to get his toe in the way of the shot, keeping the lead at two goals for the Canadiens. While the Avs eventually tallied another, Price’s acrobatics helped the Canadiens secure the W.
While it’s still plenty early in the season, if the team hopes to advance deep into the postseason they will need more from their defense. Montreal currently ranks 19th in the NHL with an average of three goals against per game, averaging more than 31 shots against per game as well—good for 22nd in the NHL.
Check out video of Price’s save on Duchene below.