The Canadiens have a Carey Price problem

Putting Jake Allen in for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final would not be a desperation move. Sticking with Carey Price? Now that reeks of desperation

After being the reason why the Canadiens advanced to the Stanley Cup final, Carey Price has allowed 13 goals in four games and has an .835 save percentage.

MONTREAL - Seventy-nine years ago, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Hap Day faced the same grim prospects in the Stanley Cup final Dominique Ducharme and the Montreal Canadiens are confronted with today. With his team facing an 0-3 deficit, Day decided to scratch his leading scorer from the regular season and replace him with a depth guy who had scored two goals in 25 games.

People must have thought Day was nuts. After all, there he was, shelving Gordie Drillon, who was coming off back-to-back 23-goal seasons. In 1941-42, only three players in the NHL scored more goals than Drillon. And he was replaced by Don Metz, a 25-year-old minor leaguer who could never quite live up to the exploits of his older brother, Nick, a regular with the Leafs.

The Maple Leafs went on to make history, becoming the first (and only) team in NHL history to overcome a three-game deficit to win the Stanley Cup final. While Drillon and Bucko McDonald sat, Metz scored four goals and seven points in the next four games, including the game-winner in Game 6.

So there’s that.

This isn’t to suggest that there’s really anything Ducharme will be able to do to stop the rushing tide that is the Lightning. But he’s got to try. So why would he not consider starting backup goalie Jake Allen in place of Price for Game 4 Monday night? It sounds crazy, right? But so is the thought of sitting your leading scorer and replacing him with a guy who scored two goals. Desperate times.

Hockey Unfiltered with Ken Campbell is a reader-supported platform. Both free and paid subscriptions are available. Those who want to support my work are encouraged to take out a paid subscription.

There is not a person out there with two eyeballs in his or her head who would not acknowledge the fact that the Canadiens would not even be playing now if not for Price. But here’s the thing. They would not be playing now if not for Allen, either. If they had relied exclusively on Price’s goaltending during the regular season, the Canadiens would not even have made the playoffs. Allen was that good. And why would you trade for Allen, then immediately sign him to a two-year extension, then not use him when you need him?

Despite saying he’s “looking at every situation,” Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme is adamantly sticking with Price for Game 4.

And hoo-boy, do the Canadiens need him now. In this series, Price is everything he was not in the first three rounds of the playoffs. He’s allowed 13 goals in three games and his save percentage is .835. He looks tired. Routine shots are getting past him. In Game 2, the Canadiens were the better team and lost, in part because Price was the second-best goalie in the game. In Game 3, they actually scored enough goals to give themselves a chance to win the game, but were out of it shortly after it began when Price allowed two weak goals in the first four minutes. Even Price himself was not impressed with his play. “I can definitely play better,” Price said. “It’s just not good enough so far.”

When Ducharme talked about lineup changes for Game 3, he said, “We’re looking at every situation right now.” Well, no, they’re actually not. If they were looking at every situation, they would at least be considering starting Allen in place of Price for Game 4. Bringing in young defenseman Alexander Romanov, or even Brett Kulak, seems like it would be a no-brainer given the play of Jon Merrill and/or Erik Gustafsson. Finding a place for Tomas Tatar might give the team some offensive spark. But those are lipstick-on-a-pig changes compared to the one that would take real guts to make. And despite saying he’s looking at “every situation”, it’s not one Ducharme is prepared to make.

“Carey is the guy playing Monday,” Ducharme said emphatically Saturday. “If you wonder, or if people are wondering, who’s going to be in net, Carey’s going to be in net. Yeah, you can talk about one guy or another guy. It’s about all of us. We need to be better in front of him. All 20 guys putting on the jersey are looking for Monday night playing their best game. That’s it.”

The Canadiens invested $14.85 million in cap space in their goalies this season, $10.5 million in Price and $4.35 million. That accounted for more than 18 percent of their cap space. They got Allen for a reason and now they refuse to use him when their season is on the line. Is it not an idea that’s even worth considering? Put Allen in for Game 4 and give Price one game to reset. If Allen wins the game, you put a fresh Price in for Game 5, or if you have the courage of your convictions, you go with Allen again. If the Canadiens are worried about bruising Price’s ego at this point, it means they’re placing their $10.5 million goalie’s feelings ahead of what might be best for the organization.

Of course it would take guts, the same kind of guts it took Hap Day to scratch his leading scorer 79 years ago. And yes, it would be a controversial decision. But anyone who would second-guess that move simply hasn’t watched the first three games of this series.