Hot or not

Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning

Bishop stood tall against the Kings, stopping all but one of the 38 shots he faced to help his Bolts to a 2-1 shootout win.

Semyon Varlamov, Colorado Avalanche

Varlamov surrendered three goals on 15 shots before being yanked in Wednesday's loss to the Senators. Varlamov is 4-6-1 with an .890 save percentage this season.

Should the Montreal Canadiens be worried about Carey Price?

@Real_ESPNLeBrun: It marred what was otherwise another standout performance by the Habs, a 5-1 trouncing of the New York Rangers in a first-place showdown at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. Price was pushing from post to post before falling awkwardly in the second period, seemingly favoring his right leg. He finished the period but didn't come back out afterward, and coach Michel Therrien said the reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner tweaked the same lower-body injury that kept him out three weeks earlier this season. The Habs were being prudent, Therrien said. They need to get this guy right before the playoffs. Michael Condon will start Friday in New Jersey, which was the original plan anyway, but will Price be ready for his Saturday start at home against the Devils? We'll see what the update is on Price later Thursday.

@CraigCustance: I'd be much more concerned, Pierre, if Mike Condon hadn't shown he's capable of carrying the load while Price is out. If there was one goalie I would have identified as impossible to replace, it would have been Price. But Condon has been a great story this season considering the path he took to get to the NHL. He's 7-2-2 with a .916 save percentage this season after earning the backup job out of camp. He stopped 11 of 11 shots against the Rangers after hitting a rough patch for a few games. Like you said, Pierre, they need Price for the stretch run and the playoffs, but the Canadiens have given themselves enough of a cushion to rest Price if they need to.

@ESPN_Burnside: Pierre, I think you would be best to completely ignore Craig on this one. The short answer: Darn right the Canadiens should be worried. With all due respect to Mike Condon, go back to his four appearances before Wednesday night and you'll find he allowed 13 goals and came up with one win against three losses. Hey, he's a 25-year-old kid from Holliston, Massachusetts. He's learning the game. But the Canadiens cannot afford to consider life without Carey Price for an extended period of time without considering whether they need to add veteran experience. Sure, the Habs will be very cautious with Price, as they were with his first stint on the shelf. And now he's hurt again. How can GM Marc Bergevin, celebrating Thanksgiving with his new contract extension, not have to consider needing a Plan B in goal? If John Gibson is back for good with the Anaheim Ducks, do they look to move a goalie? What about the Calgary Flames, with Jonas Hiller on the mend, giving them a surplus of goalies? Cam Talbot is going to be a free agent in July and hasn't been everything the Edmonton Oilers hoped, but we saw how he played behind a strong Rangers team last season. All food for thought on turkey day as the Habs once again chew on the fact that they might again be without the best goalie in the land.

@ESPNJoeyMac: Plain and simple: The Canadiens would be screwed if Price's injury continues to be an issue this season. Sure, Montreal played well during his recent nine-game absence and proved there's more to this team than just goaltending, but we all know in order to win the Stanley Cup a team needs its No. 1 goaltender to be its No. 1 goaltender. Plus, we're talking about the best goaltender in the world. Condon is a good goalie and he proved that. It's a great story, especially for all the fans in Boston because he's a local kid, but the pressure to spell Price for the majority of the season if needed could be too great for the rookie goaltender.

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