The Montreal Canadiens continue to show confidence in backup Peter Budaj, casting at least a small shadow of doubt as to just how head coach Michel Therrien will manage his goaltending heading into the playoffs.
On Thursday, the Habs signed Budaj to a two-year $2.8-million extension and promptly gave the net to the man who otherwise would have become an unrestricted free agent this summer. That evening, he helped Montreal become just the third team to clinch a playoff spot this season, leading the team to an impressive 5-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
For the record, Budaj’s overall 2.13 GAA and .918 save percentage are better than Carey Price’s 2.28 GAA and .915 save percentage, not so much sparking a controversy as to who should be the starter come the playoffs, but at the very least begging the question: Just how many games should the Habs give Budaj over the next few weeks?
Admittedly, he didn’t need to be all that good on Thursday, as he faced just 15 shots. However, by the same token, he had already proven himself as being worthy of a raise from the $1.15 million he had been making, i ...
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Article written by Ryan Szporer
How the Montreal Canadiens Should Manage Their Goaltending Heading into Playoffs
April 13th, 2013 by Ryan Szporer Leave a reply »
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