Carey Price out at least 1 week

The Montreal Canadiens will once again be without franchise goalie Carey Price for an unknown period of time.

Price was forced to leave Wednesday's win over the New York Rangers after appearing to aggravate a lower-body injury that sidelined him for nine games earlier in the season.

Head coach Michel Therrien updated Price's status after practice Thursday, confirming the goalie has been placed on injured reserve, meaning he'll sit for at least the next seven days.

"We don't know how long Carey will be out but for us it's business as usual," Therrien said. "We're focusing on (Friday's) game."

Mike Condon, who filled in admirably during Price's initial absence before beginning to falter under the heavy workload, was already tabbed to start Friday against the New Jersey Devils.

Therrien will be forced to start him again on Saturday, or turn to third-string goalie Dustin Tokarski.

The Canadiens have earned a league-high 36 points in the standings despite Price's injury issues early on this season.