Carey Price, who missed the previous three games with a lower body injury, returned to the ice Wednesday at the Canadiens practice facility in Brossard. Though Price skated on his own and departed before his teammates began the formal practice, Habs coach Claude Julien was happy to see his No. 1 goalie out there, saying it was a "first step" in his return to action.
#Confirmed 😉 https://t.co/yotUmCCFEV pic.twitter.com/7Y7hclI5dd
— TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 8, 2017
Julien also said that rookie Charlie Lindgren starts in goal for the third consecutive game when the Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Lindgren stopped 67 of 69 shots in backstopping consecutive wins over the Blackhawks and Golden Knights after being recalled from the minor leagues, picking up his first career shutout Sunday in Chicago and a 3-2 victory at home on Tuesday.
"I don't know if (his performance) is an eye-opening thing," Julien said of Lindgren. "I've always felt he's got the potential to be a really good goaltender in this league. Right now, all I can say is every time we've called upon him he's done a great job, so we're encouraged by that."
NHL Power Rankings: Habs finally headed in right direction
Lindgren is a perfect 5-0-0 in five career NHL starts over three seasons. He owns a 1.39 GAA and .955 save percentage in his brief tour of duty in the NHL.
"He's played phenomenal and I think that's trickled down the lineup," Habs captain Max Pacorietty said of the rookie netminder.
While the goaltending is set for Thursday, the rest of the lineup is in a bit of flux. Jonathan Drouin, who left Tuesday's win over Vegas after two periods due to an upper body injury believed to be his left hand, did not practice on Wednesday. Joining him on the sidelines was Andrew Shaw, with the team saying officially that both forwards were given therapy days.
Drouin is tied for second on the team with 11 points in 16 games. His eight assists are tied most on the club with Shea Weber.
Shaw has also appeared in all 16 games this season, leading the team with 20 penalty minutes to go along with three goals and eight points.