When the Montreal Canadiens take to the ice Monday night against the Florida Panthers, the spotlight will once again be on their netminder, with the pressure of a hockey-mad betting city focused squarely on his shoulders. At just 23-years old, Carey Price has been considered both the present and the future for a franchise looking to restore its once proud ways, and although he has not lived up to expectations so far, the Canadiens’ management remains optimistic that he will produce.
Montreal management solidified their commitment to the Memorial Cup winner when they traded Jaroslav Halak to the St. Louis Blues in the offseason for a couple of prospects. The decision was made in spite of Halak’s brilliant play in place of Price, after the former took over the starting job to lead the Canadiens in to the playoffs, and all the way to the Eastern conference finals. The Slovakian became the story of the postseason, making save after save to help Montreal shut down two of the most explosive offenses in the league, including the Presidents trophy-winning Washington Capitals, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. From Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin, to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Halak stood on his head and won over Habs’ fans with his brilliant sportsbook promo play. Now, Halak has been traded, and the keys to the Canadiens’ playoff ambitions have been handed back to Price.
The B.C.-native came in to the league on fire, fresh off an AHL championship and gold medal with Canada’s junior team, but struggled after his first season and has nearly fallen off the map since. Although Price has not had the benefit of solid play in front of him the way Halak did for most of the team’s playoff run last year, he will have to do better than he has this preseason, where he has struggled immensely. Price was booed and jeered after allowing suspect goals in an opening loss to the rival Boston Bruins, and then unraveled in his last start against the Ottawa Senators after a solid start. The Canadiens’ goaltender had played a solid 35 minutes while allowing only one goal, before allowing the Senators to explode for three straight before the second intermission, en route to a 6-2 loss. The meltdown included a terrible goal by center Jason Spezza, who scored from the left corner behind his own goal. The puck struck Price’s right leg and trickled behind him, as the storyline continues to build around his sportsbook reviews struggles.
The Canadiens did little in the offseason to improve their team from last year, expecting that this group has the talent to get back to the conference finals, and perhaps even exceed those expectations over the coming years. The biggest question mark surrounding the club remains Price, who is the last man standing after Halak was traded. The pressure is on, and will continue to grow as Price steps back in to the net tonight for the Canadiens for his second home start, as the Habs battle the Panthers in a bigger storyline than NFL betting could provide for those in Quebec.
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