Vezina-candidate Price attempts to take blame for playoff series' loss
Carey Price was the backbone of the Montreal Canadiens this season, stealing wins with enough regularity that he earned a rare nomination for both the Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy this season. But the Canadiens' netminder said he was not satisfied with his performance in the playoffs as he tried to take the blame for the team's loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
"I didn’t play well enough for us to win the series,” Price told reporters following Game 6. "I think that’s basically more or less what it comes down to. We lost a lot of tight games. I just needed to make that one more save in all the games that we lost and I didn’t do that."
Price's statement comes despite the fact that he held the NHL's top offense to two goals or fewer in four of six games in the series. And while the goalie was ready to take responsibility for his team's shortcomings, his teammates refused to let him take the fall.
"Things are going to happen out of his control sometimes and we've got to respond for him," Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban told reporters after Game 6. "Listen, Carey will always say the right things, I'm sure he's frustrated, but we need to be better around him. I don't care what Carey says, we need to be better around him and support him more."
(h/t SportsNet CA)
Photo by Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
