Price to travel with Canadiens, won't play on road trip

Carey Price will travel with the Montreal Canadiens on their two-game road trip this week but won't play in either game, interim head coach Martin St. Louis announced Wednesday, according to TSN's John Lu.

The Canadiens play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and square off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Price has yet to play a game this season following the Canadiens' stunning run to last year's Stanley Cup Final. He underwent knee surgery in the offseason and entered the NHL's player assistance program in October.

The veteran goaltender was forced to restart his injury rehab in January as his recovery was slow to progress.

Price practiced with the team in mid-March and has occasionally been skating on his own. He participated in Tuesday's optional morning skate and stayed on the ice to work with the scratches and injured players afterward, according to Lu.

The 34-year-old was limited to just 25 regular-season games in 2020-21 and posted a .901 save percentage. He rebounded in spectacular fashion in the postseason, logging a .924 save percentage and 2.28 goals against average in 22 outings.

Montreal has struggled in his absence and sits last in the league with a 19-40-11 record, but the team's fortunes have improved greatly since St. Louis arrived in February.

The Canadiens' next home game is on April 11 against the Winnipeg Jets.

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