Friday picks: Habs won't need Price vs. Devils
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks where hockey writers Adam Gretz and Chris Peters make their selections for all of the day’s games.
Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. ET
After getting their all-everything goalie back in the lineup for a few games, the Montreal Canadiens once again find themselves without him due to an injury.
The Canadiens announced on Thursday that Carey Price is going to be sidelined once again after he appeared to hurt himself making a save during their big win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
That means it’s time for Mike Condon to take over as the Canadiens’ starting goalie for the immediate future.
Being without Price for this much time a year ago would have been a devastating blow for the Canadiens, but they really haven’t slowed down without him this season which is a testament not only to the play of Condon, but also the play of the entire team. Condon’s story is especially surprising. An undrafted free agent out of Princeton, he spent the first the first three years of his pro career bouncing around the ECHL and AHL before earning an opportunity with the Canadiens out of camp this season. He had a sensational start to his NHL career when he helped the Canadiens earn a point in each of his first eight starts while posting a save percentage above .930.
On Friday the Canadiens are in New Jersey to face the Devils, one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season.
A roster that is lacking impact players offensively and is young on defense looked like it was going to have a terrible time winning hockey games this season. But thanks to what has been a bounceback year from veteran winger Mike Cammalleri and an early season goal-scoring surge from Adam Henrique the Devils are hanging around in the Eastern Conference playoff race. But the biggest reason they’re hanging around in games: The play of starting goalie Cory Schneider.
A goalie like Schneider can mask a lot of flaws on an otherwise undermanned team, and Schneider has been nothing short of sensational for the third year in a row. He’s going to give them a chance again on Friday against one of the top teams in the NHL, but it’s probably not going to be enough to top a Canadiens team even without Price. Pick: Canadiens 4, Devils 1.
The rest of Friday’s picks
New York Rangers 4, Boston Bruins 2
Nashville Predators 5, Philadelphia Flyers 2
Minnesota Wild 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
Chicago Blackhawks 5, Anaheim Ducks 3
Washington Capitals 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Buffalo Sabres 5, Carolina Hurricanes 3
Pittsburgh Penguins 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Detroit Red Wings 4, Edmonton Oilers 3
New York Islanders 3, Florida Panthers 1
Dallas Stars 6, Vancouver Canucks 4
Arizona Coyotes 4, Calgary Flames 3
Mike Condon is back in net for the Montreal Canadiens. (USATSI)
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
