From Carey Price suffering a lower-body injury and being out for a few games, to then getting a concussion and not playing for almost a month, this hasn’t been the easiest season for the starting goaltender of the Montreal Canadiens.
The question now is will Price be healthy and ready to be the goalie the Montreal Canadiens need him to be for the playoffs? Everybody sure hopes so.
While it’s true that Jake Allen has been solid this season, and that the Habs probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs without him, I believe if Price is completely healthy, he will be starting in the net in Game 1.
Price was, and still is, known for being one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League. So, here are his actual statistics and how he compares to Jack Campbell, who I’m assuming will be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Carey Price for the Montreal Canadiens
While his numbers this year aren’t as impressive as his career-high season, considering the Habs’ defence is far from being one of the best in the league, it’s fair to say Price did pretty well.
This regular season, Price had a .901 SV% (save percentage), with 2.64 GAA (goals-against average), and a record of 12-7-5 in 25 games played. These are similar to his numbers from last regular season: a .909SV%, 2.79 GAA, and 27-25-6 in 58 games.
But what really stands out – and makes many fans hopeful the Canadiens have a shot at beating the Leafs – is Price’s outstanding performance in last year’s playoffs (including the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins).
In 10 games played, Price had a .936 SV%, with only 1.78 GAA. This ultimately gave a record of 5-5-0, but I don’t believe this is representative of his performance.
These numbers from the last playoffs compare to Price’s career-high performance in 2014-15, when he had a .933 SV% and 1.96 GAA in 66 games played, and a 44-16-6 record.
Jack Campbell for the Toronto Maple Leafs
With Campbell just having an amazing and historic season, I can only expect he will be the starting netminder for the Leafs in the first round.
In 22 games this season, Campbell had a .921 SV% with 2.15 GAA and a record of 17-3-2. He also made history and set the new record for most consecutive wins to start a season at 11, breaking the previous record of 10, held by Price.
Campbell has been astonishing this season and has every reason to keep it going for the playoffs.
So, how does Price compare to Campbell?
Well, if we can get the Price that played in last year’s postseason, it could be very close.
Nonetheless, whether it’s from Price or Campbell’s crease, I am expecting some incredible saves that will keep everyone on the edge of their seats.