Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said he decided to give Price the final 20 minutes off because of how poorly the Habs were playing, but he wouldn't say for sure whether Price would be available for Game 2 on Monday.
"There was no reason to put Carey back in the third," Therrien told reporters. "It was just to protect him. You never want to see your goaltender spread out on the ice. But the fact that he didn't play in the third period is unrelated."
Price appeared to be in pain after the Rangers' Chris Kreider crashed into him in the second period. Price stayed in the game, but he gave up a pair of goals 49 seconds apart in the final 1:01 of the period, which gave New York a 4-1 advantage.
MORE: Game 1 wrap | Analysis | SN scoreboard | East finals photos
Even if Price is gimpy, you have to think he'll be back out there for Game 2 on Monday. Because it's the ... well, you know.
As to whether Kreider was aiming for Price as he drove to the net: Therrien said he thought it was accidental, and Kreider told reporters he just lost his balance after missing the net with his shot.
"I put it wide and somehow lost my footing. I thought maybe someone pressured me from behind. I seem to have an issue staying on my feet on those," Kreider told reporters. "I went in skates-first, and I just had too much momentum and couldn't really avoid him. It didn't feel too good for me, either."
Backup goalie Peter Budaj came out for the third period, and the Blueshirts greeted him rudely. New York scored three times in the first 4:36 and opened up a 7-1 lead.
New York won, 7-2, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
