Montreal Canadiens: Shea Weber is making it easier on Carey Price

The Montreal Canadiens have looked more complete with Shea Weber on the ice, but Carey Price might be the happiest to have the veteran back.

Shea Weber played his fifth game for the Montreal Canadiens Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. It was a heated and almost playoff-like match between the two teams, and the Habs came away with the win.

Weber gained the primary assist on Paul Byron‘s empty-net goal marking his fifth point of the season. It was a nice tag-team effort between himself and Artturi Lehkonen who laid the body on Mikkel Boedker to trigger the turnover allowing the captain to receive the puck and find Byron in the neutral zone.

We’ve visually seen his efforts on the ice and the numbers he’s putting up speaks for itself. But if anyone is happy for Weber returning, it’s Carey Price.

The 31-year-old has had his eras of stardom and moments reminiscent of last season. Price’s stats do have an interesting trend when comparing them before Weber and after. Sample size is one of the key determiners here as we’re talking about 17 games vs. 5.

Before Weber returned Price had a 3.2 goals-against average and .897 save percentage (Sv%). That included games that saw the opposition score five goals a night, as well as, ten contests (59%) where Price had a Sv% below .900.

Upon his return, the Montreal Canadiens have allowed fewer goals with a 2.2 GAA. Price specifically is sporting a .911 Sv% with a team pushing him below the .900 threshold only once. It wouldn’t be fair to hold the improvement on Weber alone. He does bring years of experience in how to defend in key situations, and he uses his strength to box out opponents from the front of the net.

One thing to notice about Price, however, has been his aggression and confidence. He’ comes out to challenge the shooter more and makes use of his lateral quickness to his advantage. Price isn’t getting a shutout every night, but he’s making the stops, especially the big ones.

Weber is doing his part by allowing Price to get a few good looks and punishing players who try to get in his way. A simple formula sure, but it’s getting the job done.

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