Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme says injured goaltender Carey Price still "needs a bit of time" but should be back next week.
Ducharme told reporters on Thursday the team wants to be careful with Price to avoid getting "into a situation where it gets too bad and he would be missing a long time."
Price did not travel with the Canadiens to Toronto for Wednesday night's game against the Maple Leafs, staying in Montreal to receive treatment on a lingering injury. Jake Allen started the game in Price's absence as the Canadiens fell 3-2 to the Leafs.
In 23 starts this season, Price is 12-6-5 with a 2.66 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.