Price says he's been playing through injury for about 7 weeks

The injury that sidelined Carey Price for two games following the Christmas break is something he's been dealing with for some time.

The Montreal Canadiens netminder recently missed the club's games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning with a lower-body injury. He admitted Wednesday that the injury is one he's been playing through for about seven weeks, according to Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette.

The good news for the Canadiens is that Price noted he could have played had the two contests been playoff games.

Price said after practice he is feeling well enough to play Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks, but head coach Claude Julien didn't want to commit to a starter.

The Canadiens sent goaltender Michael McNiven back to the AHL's Laval Rocket on Wednesday afternoon, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels, meaning Price will likely back up Antti Niemi even if he doesn't start.