New York Rangers forward Chris Kreider is still despised by many fans in Montreal after an incident that occurred in the 2014 playoffs.

It was during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, when Kreider collided into Carey Price after being tripped by a Habs defender on a breakaway. Montreal’s star goalie came up hurting but completed the remainder of the second period before giving way to Peter Budaj.

After the game, Canadiens coach Michel Therein was irate with Kreider calling it a reckless play and accusing him of targeting goalies. Henrik Lundqvist immediately came to his teammate’s aid saying it was a clear accident.

Price would be out for the rest of the series as the Rangers won it in 6 games to face the L.A. Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.

Despite that incident occurring 8 year ago, a former NHL coach is linking it to Price possibly retiring due to knee issues.

Bob Hartley blames Chris Kreider for Carey Price injury issues

Bob Hartley, who last coached an NHL team back in 2015-16, made an appearance on BPM Sports in Montreal to discuss the career of Carey Price. During the interview, he spoke specifically of that collision in 2014 for the reason the Habs star goalie’s playing future is in jeopardy.

“Although he will never admit it,” he said. Chris Kreider has put the brakes on Carey Price’s incredible career.

Talk about pouring gas on an old fire. But is the accusation even fair?

Truthfully, only Price can tell you if that hit had an impact. However, the following season (2014-15), he played in 7 more games (66) and set career-highs in the following categories: Wins (44), GAA (1.96), and SV% (.933).

Wow! If he did that while injured who knows what else he could’ve accomplished.

Unfortunately for Price, the 2015-16 season was cut short due to an MCL sprain. The injury apparently occurred when he stepped on a puck during warmups in Edmonton. Let’s face it, a puck in warmups does not a good villain make.

Chris Kreider is not responsible for Price not playing

Price, 35, has had a difficult time battling injuries suffered during the Habs Stanley Cup run in 2021. After having offseason knee surgery, he entered the league’s NHL/NHLPA player assistance program prior to the 2021-22 campaign. Coupled with his rehab, it made him miss almost the entirety of the season. He was only able to appear in five games, posting a 1-4-0 record with a 3.63 GAA and .878 SV%.

GM Kent Hughes said this summer he does not expect Price to play this season. The team has subsequently put him on LTIR.

To place any blame on Chris Kreider for this is beyond ridiculous.

Since that injury occurred in 2014, Price has appeared in 343 regular season games in 8 years. You can also add 40 playoff games to those numbers during 4 postseason runs.

“I don’t go out with the intent to hurt anyone ever,” Kreider said in 2014. “I look back on it and wish I would’ve put it in the net. Obviously, I was trying to score a goal.”

At the end of the day, Price not being able to play hurts the game. Blaming Kreider for a collision from 2014 doesn’t help the situation.

NHL News and Rumors

• NHL Rumors: Erik Karlsson, Bo Horvat, and more
• John Tortorella concerned with Flyers locker room
• Ryan Miller heading to US Hockey Hall of Fame
• Did Carey Price unofficially announce retirement?

The Sharks officially terminated the veteran forward’s deal Sunday night after placing him on unconditional waivers Saturday. Kane went unclaimed.

Evander Kane contract termination

The Sharks claim that Kane breached his NHL Standard Player Contract by violating the American Hockey League COVID-19 protocol. He served a 21-game suspension for submitting a fake vaccination card and was assigned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Kane was fully vaccinated before being reinstated, the team said. However, he traveled home to Vancouver while in COVID protocol last month in a violation of league rules, according to reports.

“We are aware of the Sharks’ decision to put Evander on waivers for contract termination. If he clears, we will file a grievance,” Kane’s agent said on Saturday. “The Sharks do not have sufficient grounds for taking this action.”

He was in the fourth season of a seven-year, $49 million contract signed in May 2018. He will forfeit $22.8 million. NHL contracts are guaranteed.

Kane, 30, is an unrestricted free agent and has reportedly garnered interest from many teams.

Carey Price status

There has been some recent speculation the the Habs will offer Carey Price the same courtesy that was extended by Jeff Gorton in 2018 to New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Lundqvist opted to stay for the rebuild but still ended up being a buyout before his contract was up.

“Would the Canadiens and Price say well maybe another team might want you, but the only way that could work is if you get healthy and play some games this year so other teams can see that you’re alright,” Elliotte Friedman recently pondered. “I think at some point that conversation is going to have to happen.”

Price, 34, is former Hart and Vezina Trophy recipient owning a 360-257-79 record with 49 shutouts, a .917 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average in 707 games (695 starts) since Montreal drafted him No. 5 overall in 2005.

He has four more years on his deal that comes with an AAV of $10.5M. Even if the Habs and Price agree to move on, it will take a serious retention of salary for a deal to happen.

Now the speculation has turned to if Price has any incentive to even play this season. With the Habs out of playoff contention and no Olympics to look forward to, does he have any reason to come back?

“No one has told me that Carey doesn’t have a chance of playing this year,” said coach Dominique Ducharme. “We talked about the steps he needs to go through. It’s certain that with the time we lost that we couldn’t even be in this building. That was time for treatment, time for practice that he and other players didn’t have.”

Sportsnet

What happens next with Price is ultimately up to him. But this is one Habs storyline to follow until the trade deadline.

More Games Postponed

Due to COVID-19-related issues affecting the New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, Monday night’s Tampa Bay at New Jersey and Ottawa at Edmonton games have been postponed.

Two additional games set for Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets visiting the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild at the Winnipeg Jets, were also postponed due to attendance restrictions stemming from the pandemic in certain Canadian cities.

Makeup dates for the Blue Jackets-Canadiens, Wild-Jets and Lightning-Devils matchups have not been scheduled.

The Senators-Oilers game has been rescheduled for Saturday at Edmonton.

–Field Level Media contributed to this report

The former Hart and Vezina Trophy recipient already was set to miss the start of the 2021-22 regular season as he recovers from a non-COVID-19 illness.

Price, 34, had surgery in the offseason to repair a torn meniscus. He is heading into his 15th season with the Canadiens, who lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.

NHL: Carey Price enters player assistance program

“Today, I’m not thinking about Carey Price the goaltender. I’m thinking about Carey Price the human being,” GM Marc Bergevin said. “I believe better days are ahead for Carey and his family.”

Started as a jointly funded effort in 1996, the player assistance program offers support for players and their families dealing with mental health, substance abuse and other issues.

Price owns a 360-257-79 record with 49 shutouts, a .917 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against average in 707 games since Montreal drafted him No. 5 overall in 2005.

The Habs top goalie will miss at least the next 30 days.

NHL Injury News

Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield landed on injured reserve Wednesday, a day after breaking his left ankle.

According to the team, the 19-year-old rookie will be sidelined indefinitely.

Byfield got hurt in the final period of the Kings’ 4-1 home preseason loss to the Coyotes when hit by Arizona’s Christian Fischer. Byfield finished the night with two shots on goal.

Ottawa Senators center Colin White is expected to undergo surgery on his dislocated shoulder and be sidelined four-to-six months, head coach D.J. Smith announced Thursday.

White, 24, sustained the injury after administering a check on Dave Kampf during the first period of the Senators’ preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Smith said the following day that White was in line to miss a “significant amount of time.”

Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar will miss the team’s final two preseason games after testing positive for COVID-19.

Assistant coaches Ray Bennett and Nolan Pratt will serve as co-bench bosses as Colorado plays a home-and-home series against the Dallas Stars. The Avalanche will play in Dallas on Thursday and in Denver on Saturday.

Colorado opens the regular season against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

The Avalanche also announced they will be without the services of goalie Pavel Francouz for the next 3-4 weeks due to a lower body injury.

He was injured in a preseason game against the Vegas Golden Knights where he got caught up in the net. Francouz missed all of last season after hip surgery.

The 31 year-old netminder last played in the 2019-20 season. Francouz has a career NHL record of 21-9-4-1 with a 2.40 GAA and a .923 SV%.

Evander Kane fake vaccination card probe

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been accused of using a fake vaccination card, Front Office Sports reported.

Under United States federal law, any person that purchases, sells or produces a fake vaccination card can face up to five years in jail.

NHL rules detail that teams and players who fail to comply with COVID-19 protocols will face significant penalties, including “forfeiture of games, fines, and reimbursements of expenses, loss of draft choices, and/or ineligibility for participation in training activities.”

The NHL reportedly is investigating the allegation.

Latest NHL Rumors

Rangers in on Eichel; and potential UFAs hitting the trade market? Read more here.

-Field Level Media contributed to this report

The TV-friendly expansion draft is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and SPORTSNET.

NHL Roundup: Kraken seriously considering Carey Price

The Montreal Canadiens decided to take a gamble and protect affordable backup Jake Allen and expose Carey Price. Will it pay off?

Price is 33 years-old and has 5 years remaining on a deal with a hefty $10.5 million cap hit. Furthermore, if the Kraken opt to take Price, they will have to pay him an $11 million signing bonus with the way his contract is structured. It is also reported he is dealing injuries that may require surgery.

According to multiple reports Seattle is seriously considering taking Price and making him their version of Marc-Andre Fleury. This interest which has found its way out of Ron Francis’ circle of trust and cone of silence could be just a tactic.

Some think Seattle just wants Montreal to give up an asset in order to not select him. Others believe that Francis may not be buying the knee and hip injuries to dissuade him from selecting Price. The intrigue here is fantastic and really presents a great mystery heading into today.

Kirill Kaprizov has huge KHL offer

Reports indicate that Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov has a legit offer from a KHL team. Pierre LeBrun says that CSKA Moscow is the team trying to lure the Calder Trophy winner back home. He also admits he isn’t sure where any of this will go.

Pierre LeBrun is now confirming that the offer from CSKA is indeed a big one. This could be more than just a leverage play by the 24 year-old offensive star if he doesn’t get what he wants.

At this point, Kirill is only interested in a two year deal that will take him to UFA status at 27. Kaprizov fully believes he’s a 10 million plus type player. The Wild are trying to lock him up for a full 8 years, a deal he’s already rejected.

If Kaprizov bolts for the KHL, I can totally see GM Bill Guerin taking that allocated money and going all in on Jack Eichel.

Yannick Weber retires after 13 NHL seasons

Defenseman Yannick Weber announced his retirement Tuesday from the NHL after 13 seasons.

The 32-year-old will continue playing in his native Switzerland, where he signed a three-year contract with ZSC Lions of the National League on June 8.

Weber, who reached the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with the Nashville Predators, made his announcement in a letter to the Stanley Cup posted on Instagram.

“Dear Lord Stanley Cup,” he wrote. “Fifteen years ago, I left Switzerland with a dream: to be drafted by an NHL team. With only a handful of Swiss players ever playing in the best league in the world, for me it seemed more of a hope than a possibility to be next in line.”

The Predators lost the championship series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

“Even though I can’t call myself a champion, you left me with a lifetime of memories and great friendships. Now it’s time to head back home and enjoy time with my family.”

Latest NHL Rumors

Read the latest rumors before they become obsolete on this crazy day.

–Field Level Media contributed to this article

At 5 PM ET, teams all submitted their protected lists and later in the evening some more news came out. That included Canadiens goaltender Carey Price waiving his no-move clause.

NHL Roundup: Carey Prices waives NMC

The Montreal Canadiens got another big save from goalie Carey Price. Reports indicate the Habs star has agreed to waive his no-move clause solely for the Expansion Draft in order to protect backup Jake Allen.

All signs were pointing to Seattle taking Allen as one of their three goalies.

The 33 year-old netminder has 5 years remaining on a deal that has a hefty $10.5 million cap hit per season. Furthermore, if the Kraken opt to take Price they will have to pay him an $11 million signing bonus with the way his contract is structured. It is unlikely he will be taken.

Flyers make biggest trade; land Ryan Ellis

The Philadelphia Flyers acquired Ryan Ellis from the Nashville Predators on Saturday for fellow defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick, multiple media outlets reported.

Patrick then was flipped in a separate deal to the Vegas Golden Knights for fellow forward Cody Glass, TSN reported.

Ellis, 30, recorded 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 35 games last season. He is two seasons into an eight-year, $50 million contract.

Rangers acquire Barclay Goodrow rights

The New York Rangers got serious about reshaping their bottom six. Chris Drury has acquired the rights to center Barclay Goodrow from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a seventh round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

That wasn’t the only move they made as they traded Brett Howden to the Vegas Golden Knights for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a 4th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

According to Chris Johnston, there’s rumors teams are willing to offer him a six year-deal if he hits the open market. This is a steep price in term, but it’s one the Rangers are very likely to pay

Vladimir Tarasenko and other stars left unprotected

Late last night it was reported by Frank Seravalli that four teams were interested in trading for Vladimir Tarasenko but no deal could be reached. Apparently, he has agreed to waive his no-move clause for the Seattle Expansion as he is not being protected.

While not totally unexpected, pending UFA Gabriel Landeskog was left unprotected according to The Denver Post. All that gives the Kraken is an exclusivity window which they have to negotiate a deal with all unprotected free agents. It is unlikely that many of the top UFA’s like Landeskog would sign with Seattle instead of hitting the open market for maximum value.

Also leaked as unprotected are the following players:

• Jonathan Quick, Kings
• Chris Driedger, Panthers
• Adam Henrique, Ducks
• Max Domi, Blue Jackets

Despite a flurry of activity yesterday prior to the trade freeze, some notable names will likely be left unprotected. In Nashville, it is believed that both Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansson’s big contracts will be out there. The NJ Devils are going to expose PK Subban. Meanwhile, the Canucks will protect Thatcher Demko and leave Braden Holtby available.

At 10 AM ET today, the NHL will distribute the lists to all teams.

As the trade deadline inches closer, the Rangers met the Canadiens in a playoff rematch from last year. While both teams were playoff teams last year, both are struggling and find themselves at the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. In addition, both team’s captains are on the trading block, although to different levels of seriousness.

LINEUP

Normally, a game between New York and Montreal features two world-class goaltenders in Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price. However, Lundqvist was rested in favor of Alexandar Georgiev and Carey Price was out with symptoms from a concussion suffered during Montreal’s game on Tuesday. In addition, the Rangers were without Rick Nash and Michael Grabner, as they were held out, presumably because they are close to being traded. Add that to the Rangers still missing Chris Kreider, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan McDonagh, and the recently traded Nick Holden. With all of these regulars out of the lineup, the Rangers looked more like the Hartford Wolfpack.

1st PERIOD

As has happened way too often this season the Rangers struggled early on. While the Rangers did not give up a goal in the first minute, they did give up the first goal in the first period with under seven minutes gone in the period. New Rangers defenseman Rob O’Gara lost his man in front of the net as Tomas Plekanec buried a cross crease pass to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead. The Rangers and Canadiens traded power plays but did not score any more in the opening frame with Georgiev channeling his inner Hank by withstanding the barrage of Montreal shots.

2^nd PERIOD

In the second period, the Canadiens scored again when Jeff Petry took another cross-ice pass and buried it behind Georgiev for a 2-0 Canadiens lead. Although the Rangers had some chances, they were unable to get one past Antti Niemi.

3^rd PERIOD

Despite the Rangers being down a number of key players, they battled and pulled within one goal when Kevin Hayes scored a controversial goal. Initially, it appeared that Hayes kicked the puck in the net. However, the review showed that Hayes kicked the puck towards the net, but his stick deflected the puck before going in the net. Right after the Hayes goal, the Rangers pulled Georgiev for the extra skater but were unable to capitalize on their chances. The Canadiens sealed the game when Phillip Danault scored into the empty net to make the game 3-1 in favor of Montreal.

Making A Good First Impression

The Canadiens won 3-1 behind a shot differential of 41-32 and great goaltending from Antti Niemi. While Georgiev took the loss, he showed great promise by stopping 38 out of the 40 shots that he faced behind a young and relatively inexperienced defense.

Next Game: The Rangers are back at The Garden tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Puck drops at 7!

LETS GO RANGERS!!

Editor’s Note: The Rangers traded Michael Grabner after the game in Montreal. For more on the deal, click here.

Coming off of the 2004-2005 NHL lockout there were a lot of unknowns at the time. Coinciding with all the unknowns was the future of the league, and the future face of the league’s eventual destination hung in the balance of lottery balls.

Sidney Crosby was known far and wide at the time for years as “The Next One.” A generational talent that would alter his teams future. And as the 2004-05 season was canceled, the NHL decided to take a different approach to assigning the draft order.

Each team began with three balls in the lottery barrel. For every playoff appearance in the previous three years or No. 1 overall pick over the last four years, a team lost one ball. With that scenario, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus and the New York Rangers had the best chance of drafting Crosby.

As luck would have it, only one of the teams with three balls ended up with a top-four pick, Pittsburgh. Picks 2, 3 and 4 (Anaheim, Carolina, and Minnesota) each had two balls. Buffalo dropped to the 13th overall pick, Columbus landed the sixth overall pick and the Rangers landed the 16th overall pick.

In Episode 13 of Tilted Ice: North of Penn (Available on iTunes), the guys take you to an alternate dimension where on July 22, 2005, the New York Rangers were assigned the NHL’s first overall pick.

You can listen in to this whacky world on iTunes by subscribing to Tilted Ice Podcast and listening to the Soundcloud below.

https://soundcloud.com/user-200365995/tilted-ice-alternate-reality-what-if-the-rangers-drafted-sidney-crosby

In Addition:

The Rangers did get crafty though and engineered a 3-team deal that sent their 16th overall pick (Alex Bourret) as well as their second-round pick, 41st overall, current Ranger (Ondrej Pavelec) to Atlanta for the 12th overall pick (Marc Staal) which Atlanta acquired from San Jose. Atlanta, who originally picked 8th overall (Devin Setoguchi) traded back in the round to San Jose swapping their 8th overall pick for San Jose’s 12th overall pick as well as San Jose’s second-round pick and a seventh-round pick.

By the way, Benoit Pouliot was the second highest ranked prospect in that draft after Crosby. Carey Price went fifth overall to the Canadiens, so maybe the balls fell alright for New York.

If you are a hockey fan of a certain age, you have seen professionals and non-professionals representing their respective countries. Perhaps the greatest moment in Winter Olympic history came in 1980 when 25 college kids shocked the world, by defeating the Soviet powerhouse. And amateur players were the standard for the Olympics until 1998. Only since then has the NHL sent its players to the Olympic games. But while everyone is out arguing for and against, let’s look at what they are fighting about.

If you are the NHL, you have many things to consider. First, the Olympics take place every four years during the NHL season. This would mean forcing a break in the schedule for 2-3 weeks, which in it of itself means a couple things. It means that teams won’t be able to practice at full strength. It also means that any momentum that a team may have built up is destroyed heading into the final stretch of the season. You would also have to be concerned with the possibility of losing your star players to injury. In 2014, Mats Zuccarello broke his hand in Norway’s final game; while John Tavares tore his MCL and meniscus after taking a heavy hit from Latvian defenseman Arturs Kulda. Those are some very real concerns, and shouldnt be taken lightly. In fact, Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk argued this very point, saying “At our level for example you lose these guys and you’re done and your fans are the ones that hurt the most because here they are cheering on [the team] talking playoffs then all of a sudden that sinks. I don’t have to tell you what happens when a key player gets knocked out of the games, so that’s my biggest worry.” He said he would respect the league’s decision either way, but when you are talking about the owners protecting their assets, it seems pretty cut and dry.

If you are the players, you want to represent your country. And players have been very outspoken about that. Alex Ovechkin has said “The Olympics happen only once every four years, and you defend the honor of your country there.” And he has maintained that he has full intentions of playing in Pyeongchang, in spite of what the league has said. Erik Karlsson called it “crap”, adding that “we have no say in the matter and it’s very unfortunate for the game of hockey around the world.” His fellow countryman Henrik Lundqvist said on Twitter that it is “disappointing for all the players that can’t be part of the most special adventure in sports.” All of these points are valid and well taken, and it shows strong signs of the distrust and displeasure of the NHL and its players. Carey Price took a slightly different approach to showing his displeasure with the league’s decision, saying “I feel like we’re short-changing some of the younger players that haven’t had that opportunity; it’s tough to swallow for some of those kids, I’m sure. At a human level, this is a big worldwide event that the world takes part in and you know, we want to shine our light too.”

It really boils down to this: the players want to go and represent their countries, while the NHL wants to make sure the integrity of it’s product doesn’t get diminished by taking a 2-3 week break as the season starts to wind down. And here’s the thing; there is no right way to go about this. If Gary Bettman decided to let his players go to Pyeongchang and a superstar had gotten injured, it takes away from the NHL’s product. And if Gary Bettman decided not to let his players go, which is what he has done, the players and the NHLPA become incensed with the league and threaten a work stoppage when the CBA is up.

If you ask me, I don’t mind the NHL not sending it’s players to the Olympics. And I agree with the players who are adamant about representing their countries, and playing for national pride. But the Olympics were always intended as a display of high level amateur athletics, and introducing pros into the various sports has diminshed that. Every fourth summer it is a given that the US basketball team will be in the gold medal game. And every fourth winter it is a given that the Canadian hockey team will be in the gold medal game. And people are watching the Olympics less and less. The NBC primetime coverage of Sochi in 2014 had the lowest TV ratings in the network’s history. Which tells me one thing: fans don’t care what the name is on the back, just what the crest is on the front. It doesn’t matter if it’s Matthews vs Crosby any more than it would if it was two amateurs from rival nations. It is a shame that the NHL’s leading talent won’t be able to represent their countries, but it is ultimately in their best interest.

If you ask anyone around the NHL who is the best goalie in the business today, you will get two different answers. Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price. These aren’t the two best goalies in the NHL, they are the two best goalies in the world. Each has a Gold Medal from the Olympics but neither has a Stanley Cup…yet.

The last time these two faced off, it was early in the season when Montreal was red-hot. It took a Rangers turnover midway through the game to turn the tide in what would eventually be a Canadiens 3-0 win. That marked the 5th win of the year for Montreal as they they started the season 9-0. Carey Price won 7 straight before falling to Vancouver on October 27th.

On the flip side, that loss brought the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist’s to 3-2. Since these two teams last met the Blueshirts have only lost 3 times in 16 games and only one loss in regulation. Montreal on the other hand has gone down 6 times (4 in regulation) in the subsequent 17 contests.

Price vs. Lundqvist Head to Head

Carey Price 11-5-1, 1.75 GAA, .943 SV% and 7 Shutouts

Henrik Lundqvist 14-14-2, 2.67 GAA, .903 SV% and 2 Shutouts

The majority of the damage to Lundqvist has been at the den of horrors known as the Bell Centre in Montreal. His record there is 4-7-2 with a 3.68 GAA and a miserable .882 SV%). However,  Lundqvist shook that record off and played outstanding hockey in 2014 to oust Montreal from the Eastern Conference Final.

Lundqvist won the opening two games at the Bell Centre and only allowed 3 goals on 63 shots. His 40 save performance in game 2 was vintage Lundqvist and let Montreal know that the “ghosts” that have haunted him before were for the time being…exorcised.

To be fair, he has lost his next 3 starts in Montreal (GM 6 2014 ECF, 1 last year and 1 this year), but this game will be played at the Garden and the advantage is back in the King’s court.

It’s All About Style

Actually if it was about style, Henrik wins hands down because Carey Price will tell you he’s more comfortable in a flannel shirt and jeans then a suit. No, we need to discuss goaltending style and there is no better place to do that than at inGoal Magazine.

[su_quote cite=”inGoal Magazine” url=”https://ingoalmag.com/analysis/price-vs-lundqvist-study-opposite-styles/”]The most obvious difference in this gold-medal rematch from the 2014 Sochi Olympics is where the two goaltenders play, with Lundqvist famously back on his goal line and Price refusing – stubbornly at times over the years – to back up beyond the top edge of his crease.[/su_quote]

For the most part, this holds true today but we have seen Lundqvist come out little more and even be uncharacteristically aggressive at times. His new skates and lighter pads have him looking more explosive then ever this season as he continues to make jaw-dropping saves an almost nightly occurrence.

Same goes for Price, who continues to amaze with his level of play. When these two last met in Montreal’s early October 3-0 win, both men had high praise for each other as did author, Paul Campbell.

[su_quote cite=”Paul Campbell – inGoal Magazine” url=”https://ingoalmag.com/news/price-deadly-in-dual-with-lundqvist-and-kreider/”]The elite level of their counterpart’s performance wasn’t lost on the men of the moment, either. Lundqvist admired Price ruefully: “I knew I couldn’t give up too many goals to have a chance to win here tonight. I lost count of how many times we’ve been shut out in this building [….] For some reason he likes to play us.” Price was unabashed in his praise of Lundqvist: “He was awesome. That was a spectacle. He put on a clinic out there; I really like watching him.” If these teams and goaltenders can compete with such quality and intensity so early in the season, imagine what they could bring to a playoff series. Cross your fingers.[/su_quote]

So tonight, Lundqvist and Price will have a rematch. Fans of the game and especially those of goaltending will have a great showdown. Ultimately, you can see these two are on a collision course for greatness this year.

One of these two men will likely have to do the impossible. That is outclass a goalie that has already outclassed so many others. If one of these goaltenders wants to sip champagne from the Stanley Cup this June, it just might come down to that.

Chris Kreider returned to practice today after missing Monday’s 4-3 win against Pittsburgh due to neck spams. The injury happened at practice on Sunday, when he collided into Carl Hagelin. Maybe the jolt is what the doctor ordered for CK20 as he hasn’t scored a goal in 11 consecutive games.

So what’s the deal with Kreider? Confidence is certainly an issue but he simply isn’t going to the front often enough or using his speed to drive the net with reckless abandon. Matter of fact, I’m starting to wonder if all the negative and derogatory comments about him being a goalie killer haven’t taken their toll.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI6b6OBj1Ig”]

Of the three clips above, maybe the one on Marc Andre Fleury was avoidable – maybe. However, the incident with Carey Price – mostly because it was the Eastern Conference Final and it caused an injury, had the worse press. If you listen closely to the commentary, you can hear the announcer say, “Chris Kreider has shown, that he’s not afraid at all to head for the net.

Well, maybe today he is. Of course, I don’t think it’s something he’s doing consciously, but maybe in the recesses of his mind, he’s afraid that any collision with a goalie will only result in a penalty and a further worsening of his reputation.

Kreider only has 4 goals this season. Oddly enough, his first goal in the season’s first game was vintage CK20 blasting to the net with speed. Since then, anything but.

His second goal, was a PP tally off a rebound to the side of the net, about 6 feet out.

On Kreider’s third tally, again on the power play, he deflected it home from about 15′ in front.

Finally, Chris scored his last goal on 11/8, when he took position in front of the net and tipped a shot home.

So, of the 4 goals he’s netted, only 1 was vintage Kreids barring down on a goalie. Matter of fact, I can’t think of many other instances where he drove to the net at full speed. Has the incident with Carey Price embedded itself that deep into Kreider’s psyche?

While I may be speculating, his play on the ice hasn’t done much to provide evidence otherwise. It’s time for Chris Kreider to “put on his big boy pants” as his head coach would say, and drive the net with a daredevil attitude.

Who cares what the fans in Montreal think or any other team for that matter. Right now, fans of the Rangers are starting to wonder if he should be scratched. Right now, is time for Chris Kreider to get on his horse and make his speed and presence known.