BROSSARD, Que. — Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price could return to practice Friday.
"It’s possible," said Canadiens coach Claude Julien on Thursday. "I haven’t spoken to our medical staff yet, but it’s possible. He’s day-to-day."
It was after Price completed a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild last Thursday that Julien announced he had a minor lower-body injury. Price skated for the first time since suffering the injury on Wednesday, donning full equipment for a short workout with one of the team’s strength and conditioning coaches.
On Thursday, Price took another step towards recovery, fielding shots from goaltending coach Stephane Waite in an early-morning on-ice session.
"He’s progressing," said Julien.
In 11 appearances this season, Price is 3-7-0 with a .877 save percentage and a 3.77 goals against average. In his absence, the Canadiens have won three consecutive games.
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Canadiens third-stringer Charlie Lindgren has been in goal for the last two of those games, making 38 saves in a 2-0 shutout over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday before making 29 saves in a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in his first-ever game at the Bell Centre on Tuesday. Lindgren is a perfect 5-0 in the NHL dating back to April 2016 when he made his Canadiens debut.
"We’re going with the hot hand," said Julien on Wednesday, when he was asked who would be starting for the Canadiens against the Wild Thursday.