Community Picks: Montreal Canadiens 0% vs Buffalo Sabres 0%

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price hasn’t played since Nov. 25, defeating the New York Rangers and moving his team to 17-4-2.  They’ve gone 10-20-2 since then, tumbling from first place in the conference down to three points out of a playoff spot. But it is just three points. There is hope. And of course, there’s the hope that the reigning MVP and top goalie in the NHL will ride in and literally save the season. It’s hope that the Canadiens have helped create by being coy with Price’s status. GM Marc Bergevin said in January that Price would be out at least another month – bad news in the context of the initial prognosis, but good news in the sense that he’d be back. But La Presse reports on Friday that this is basically a ruse. Price is still suffering from an injury to the MCL of his right knee. They didn’t opt for surgery, but rather for rehab. It’s hasn’t worked, and the chances are “slim” that he’d be back for the end of the regular season or the playoffs. From Richard Labbe:  Sources say team is no longer hoping for his return to action, as Price has been out since November with right knee injury, still not confirmed by team. At this point, the optimistic scenario appears to be for Price to return by season's end, maybe in time for playoffs, if the team can make it that far in April. According to a source, to La Presse: "The team doesn't think he'll be back for the regular season at this point, wondering whether it is really worth it to try and push for him to come back, said an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation. They can's say that publicly, they want to keep any hopes alive, however small. They don't want fans to quit on their team. There is a marketing element to this." There’s some validity to this, as empty seats have been seen at Bell Centre during the team’s swan-dive down the standings. But like many teams, the Canadiens seem to underestimate the appetite of their fan base. Many have written off the season. Many have written off the coach. Many have decided that it’s better to shut down Price, enter the lottery and try again next season with a fresh start. If they’re marketing hope, the fans have already brought it. Just not the brand the Canadiens are currently selling.  -- Greg Wyshynski  is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at  puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com  or  find him on Twitter.  His book,  TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK , is  available on Amazon  and wherever books are sold.   Continue to Article

February 12, 2016 10:49:am EST

Two-month chunks of the season have brought wildly different results for the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens look to build off their first winning streak in more than two months when they open a three-game trip against the sinking Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. Montreal (27-24-4) opened as the NHL's best team with a 19-4-3 record through Dec. 1 but posted the league's worst mark of 5-20-1 from Dec. 3-Feb. 3. Continue to Article

February 12, 2016 12:25:am EST

Wednesday's Dose is as big as a Dion Phaneuf open-ice check: trade analysis plus 12 recaps. Continue to Article

February 10, 2016 6:34:am EST

Feb 9 (The Sports Xchange) - Toronto and Ottawa completed a nine-player swap on Tuesday that sent defenseman Dion Phaneuf from the Maple Leafs to the Senators. In exchange for Phaneuf, the Maple Leafs will receive forwards Milan Michalek, Colin Greening and Tobias Lindberg, defenseman Jared Cowen and a 2017 second-round draft pick. The Senators also are adding defenseman Cody Donaghey and forwards Casey Bailey, Matt Frattin and Ryan Rupert. - - Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin won't return until at least next week while continuing to recover from an undisclosed lower-body injury. ... Continue to Article

February 09, 2016 7:28:pm EST