Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 3.33 - Featuring Andy Frost

www.afootinthecrease.com

For almost five games against the Boston Bruins, it appeared that Carey Price was ready to make like Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy and lead the storied Montreal Canadiens through the playoffs to a place they haven’t been since 1993. However, late in game five, Price made his first mistake attempting to keep the play alive. Instead, Glen Metropolit pounced on the loose puck after Price had tossed it back into play, scoring the eventual game winning goal. Boston would score three more times against a clearly rattled Montreal netminder.

In game six, despite the Canadiens loss, Price was solid but still did let in five goals. At just twenty years of age, Price is dealing with the immense expectations of playing in a hockey crazed city desperate for a long playoff run. All quite a bit to handle for such a young man. However, throughout the regular season and early part of the playoffs, it looked that if anyone could handle these expectations, it would be Carey Price. Mature beyond his years and seemingly unflappable, Price’s play was so strong that it prompted the trading of Cristobal Huet.

You know that the at-times vicious and relentless Montreal media will continually bring up Price’s gaffe should the Canadiens go onto lose this series after being ahead 3-1. The fact is though that the Canadiens, since taking that 3-1 lead, have not been the same team and little of that has to do with Price. Twenty six times the Canadiens have been ahead 3-1 in a playoff series and twenty six times they have closed the deal. Only because its Montreal does this scenario exist but because of his one glaring individual error, the spotlight will be focused on Carey Price in game seven. Although with everything we’ve seen from Price in his rookie season, don’t be surprised if writes himself back into the good books of Montreal Canadiens fans.