Carey Price has entered some unfamiliar territory.
The all-world Montreal Canadiens netminder is enduring his roughest stretch of the season, and after a 7-1 shelling in Minnesota on Thursday, Price has allowed three or more goals in six of his last seven starts.
In his first 24 appearances, Price only allowed three or more five times, says Arpon Basu of NHL.com. Thursday's debacle is the first time he's allowed seven goals in a game since 2013, coming on just 24 Wild shots.
However, the most recent half-dozen games of uncharacteristic performances outlines a longer period of struggles for Price.
Dating back to the start of December, Price's numbers have looked rather pedestrian compared to his usual standards.
| Date | GS | W | Sv% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before Dec. 1 | 16 | 13 (1st) | .947 (1st) | 1.68 (3rd) |
| Since Dec. 1* | 14 | 7 (13th) | .904 (15th) | 2.64 (12th) |
* does not include Thursday's stats.
Price's brief cold stretch is the lone blemish on what's been a two-year run of dominance for him in goal, both internationally and with Montreal.
Luckily for the Canadiens, though, there's plenty of time for Price to right the ship, as everyone in the hockey universe knows he's capable of doing. On top of that, Price's dominant start to the season has provided the Habs a comfortable lead atop the Atlantic Division.
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