Carey Price could sue his Canadiens teammates for lack of support

Montreal has not scored a single goal in the last three games the goaltender has started, including a 2-0 loss to the Wild Tuesday night.

Author of the article:

Pat Hickey • Montreal Gazette

Canadiens’ Carey Price only allowed two goals on 30 shots Tuesday night, but his teammates failed to score even a single goal in a 2-0 loss to the Wild. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis /Getty Images

Could someone please score a goal for Carey Price?

The Canadiens goaltender kept the score close Tuesday as he stopped 28 shots, but his teammates couldn’t put a puck behind Cam Talbot, who made 26 saves to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-0 victory at the Bell Centre.

It was the third consecutive game in which the Canadiens failed to score a goal with Price in the net. He was on the short end of a 3-0 decision against the New York Islander in his season debut last week and the Canadiens lost 1-0 to Tampa Bay in the final game of last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was the sixth consecutive loss for the Canadiens, who remain 31st in the overall NHL standings.

The Canadiens got off to a slow start and were hemmed into their own end for most of the first five minutes. The Wild got on the board after Brendan Gallagher took a tripping penalty at 6:05. Kevin Fiala had too much time and space in the slot and beat Price on a setup from Mats Zuccarello for the power-play goal at 6:57. It was Fiala’s 30th of the season.

Tyler Pitlick thought he had the typing goal at 12:13 of the second period, but the Wild challenged the play for goaltender interference. The situation room in Toronto determined Laurent Dauphin pushed Minnesota center Frederick Gaudreau into goaltender Talbot, impairing his ability to play his position before the goal.

Fiala picked up an assist as Matt Boldy extended the lead to 2-0 early in the third period. Price came out of the crease to stop Fiala, but there was a wide-open net when the rebound bounced out to Boldy, who was at the left of the crease.

Coach Martin St. Louis had to scramble to find 12 forwards. He was missing Michael Pezzetta, who was serving the first game of a two-game suspension for a check to the head of Washington’s TJ. Oshie Saturday. Joel Armia returned to Finland to attend a family matter and Jake Evans who was out sick.

The situation was further complicated when Paul Byron left the ice with a lower-body injury late in the first period and didn’t return.

Dauphin, Tyler Pitlick and Mathieu Perreault filled in for the missing players.

The Canadiens recognized Minnesota forward Nicolas Deslauriers, who was playing his 500th NHL game. Deslauriers, who grew up in St-Anicet, played 106 games with the Canadiens in 2017-19 and scored 12 goals and seven assists in a largely defensive role. The Wild acquired him from the Anaheim Ducks at the trading deadline.

It was Yvan Cournoyer bobblehead night and the Canadiens, who are desperate for any good news, posted a pregame video celebrating the sapphire anniversary — that’s the 45th — of the 1976-77 team that set an NHL record with 132 points in the regular season before capturing the Stanley Cup by winning 12 of 14 playoff games. Cournoyer, who was featured in many of the highlights, was introduced to the loudest ovation of the night.

The current edition of the Canadiens is at the opposite end of the spectrum. It is on its way to posting the lowest points total since the NHL adopted a 70-game schedule in 1949-50.

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