The Montreal Canadiens will be without goaltender Carey Price for their upcoming three-game road trip.
The Canadiens announced Thursday that Price will not travel with the team to Florida because of a lower-body injury.
The Canadiens play the Panthers on Friday night in Sunrise, Fla., then face the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. The annual holiday trip will wrap up on Dec. 31 with a match against the Dallas Stars.
Price has played in 30 games this season, posting a 15-10-4 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.
The Canadiens will look to Antti Niemi to carry the load in goal over the road trip. Niemi has a 4-3-1 record with a 4.14 GAA and .876 save percentage backing up Price this season.
Forwards Brendan Gallagher and Andrew Shaw were both absent at Thursday's practice.
Gallagher was out with flu-like symptoms while Shaw skipped practice for family reasons. Both players will fly with their teammates for Friday’s game.
Defenceman Karl Alzner was on the ice, having been recalled from the Laval Rocket on Wednesday following David Schlemko being placed on the injured reserved list.
Winger Joel Armia also joined his teammates. Armia hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury on Nov. 6 during a game against the New York Rangers. He’s also expected to make the flight to Florida.
