He’s back.
Sure, it was the Buffalo Sabres, who had played Friday night.
But you play the schedule that’s in front of you.
And Carey Price made a triumphal return to the Canadiens’ net, stopping 36 shots for his first shutout of the season.
Fearless prediction: It won’t be Price’s last shutout of this star-crossed season.
And he’ll have to be that good if the Canadiens are going to mount a pre-Christmas push toward the playoff spot that looked like a mirage through most of the team’s first 23 games.
Playing without his best defenceman in front of him, Price made timely saves, drew strategic whistles, handled the puck adroitly and generally looked like the All-World goaltender that’s been MIA since the season began.
Price’s performance elevated the play of his teammates, particularly the Shea Weber-less D corps.
Jeff Petry, who led with 24:16 of ice time, was particularly stellar … in all three zones. Petry’s superb skating makes for some dangerous pinches – none of which resulted in Buffalo breakouts.
Second most ToI? Joe Morrow. The defenceman Claude Julien had in Boston continues to shows signs that he may be getting his career back on track.
Jordie Benn, Karl Alzner and new guy Jakub Jerabek were all solid, as was Victor Mete in a limited 6:49.
(Send the kid back to junior already. He needs to play.)
Up front, Alex Galchenyuk and Jonathan Drouin continues to show flashes of evolving chemistry. And Paul Byron brought some speed and hustle to their line.
Charles Hudon was excellent with Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. The line didn’t figure in any scoring, but they pressured the Buffalo defence on every shift.
And wasn’t Pleks clanging one off the goalpost with the Buffalo net empty just his season in a nutshell?
Max Pacioretty had only two SoG, which is unusually low for him. The Captain has been reunited with Phillip Danault, who made some timely defensive plays when the game was close.
And it was close for most of the evening.
In addition to outshooting the Canadiens 36-26, the Sabres had a mere four giveaways to 18 for the occasionally jittery home team.
The win was the Canadiens’ third in as many games against Buffalo this season. They don’t see the Sabres again until March 23.
In the immediate interim, things get harder:
Columbus is at the Bell Centre on Monday night. Then it’s a back-to-back: home to Ottawa, at Detroit before the Wings visit the Bell Centre on Saturday.
The homestand winds up with games against St. Louis, Calgary, Edmonton and New Jersey.
No weak sisters in there … particularly if you think, as I do, that the Oilers have to break out of their funk soon.
Don’t stake out your spot for the Stanley Cup parade just yet.
But if Price is indeed back, a wretched winter may yet be averted.