Michel Therrien has announced that the Canadiens are now playing to give Carey Price another opportunity to play in these playoffs. The Habs will be deprived of Price's services for the remainder of the conference finals.
Peter Budaj was first off the ice at the morning skate, though Therrien refused to confirm or deny the start for him tonight. Budaj has never won an NHL playoff game before.
Dustin Tokarski, winner of a Memorial Cup, a World Junior Championship and a Calder Cup Championship is expected to back Budaj up in game 2, having never competed in a Stanley Cup playoff game before.
Down 1-0 to the Rangers after a 7-2 debacle that had may question the Canadiens' emotional commitment post-rivalry with Boston, the Habs have definitely found their rallying cry.
It's a sombre day in Montreal. The fans are sullen with this news, and very doubtful of Budaj's ability to come in and manage the situation at this level. There are many more willing to put their faith in Tokarski's untested pads--purely because he's won big games at other levels, and probably more so because he represents an unknown.
Budaj's success in different games this season shouldn't be discounted, and his playoffs history shouldn't serve as anything predictive for tonight's game. Neither should his coming in cold off the bench for game one, allowing three goals in relief. This is the biggest opportunity of his career, and the Canadiens probably have more faith in his character than the fans realize.
There's no minimizing how enormous this challenge is. As The Hockey News' Adam Proteau just put it on Twitter: "The Canadiens losing Carey Price isn't "facing adversity". It's being speared in the junk and slapped in the face repeatedly by adversity."
Game two starts at 8:00pm.
UPDATE: Sources have informed me that Dustin Tokarski is starting tonight. 3:26pm.