Maybe Brandon Prust and Michel Therrien knew Carey Price’s injury was serious enough to keep him out the rest of the series. Therrien delivered the bad news after the morning skate at Bell Centre.

It’s a big blow to the Canadiens. They lost their best player. During the second period of Game 1, Rangers forward Chris Kreider collided with Price following a breakaway banging into the goalie’s right knee. On the play, Montreal defenseman Alexei Emelin dove and got a piece of Kreider with his stick sending him flying into Price. He was unable to control his momentum which was unfortunate. Price stayed in the game but was replaced by Peter Budaj for the third period.

When Therrien was noncommittal yesterday, that was probably a tip off that Price wouldn’t be available. He now must decide between Budaj and Dustin Tokarski for Game 2. It looks like he’s going with Tokarski. An interesting decision considering that Budaj has been a reliable backup. Perhaps allowing three goals Sunday made Therrien change his mind.

The extent of Tokarski’s career versus the Rangers is one appearance as a member of the Lightning on Jan. 19, 2010. He allowed three goals on 11 shots in 24:21. HT Mike Morreale. In three games with the Canadiens this season, he went 2-0 with a 1.84 goals-against-average, .946 save percentage and one shutout. Originally a Tampa Bay ’08 fifth round pick, he was acquired by Montreal last year for Cedrick Desjardins. He’s 24 and has won a Memorial Cup, WJC gold and a Calder Cup. He’ll face a lot more pressure tonight.

Maybe Therrien just prefers to go with a guy the Rangers haven’t seen. Sometimes, playing a virtual unknown can work. Bruce Boudreau did it with Semyon Varlamov once. Paul Maurice masterfully replaced Arturs Irbe with Kevin Weekes. If it doesn’t work, he has Budaj in reserve.

No matter what, the task remains the same for the Rangers. They should expect the Habs’ best game. The crowd will be even more fired up. Expect them to let Kreider have it. They’re passionate fans who will try to rally their club. Montreal might get back Alex Galchenyuk. That would be a big boost. He’s got game breaking speed and is very talented.

From a Ranger standpoint, Derick Brassard remains uncertain for tonight. With two days off between Games 2 and 3, coach Alain Vigneault has a tough decision. He can play him knowing there’s an extra day of rest or sit him knowing it runs a risk. Vigneault has options available in Daniel Carcillo and J.T. Miller. Given how effectively Dominic Moore played with Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello, Vigneault can sub either Carcillo or Miller. Personally, I think Miller is a better fit for this series due to his size, skating and forechecking. If he plays Carcillo, it’ll be just to add toughness in case the Habs take liberties.

Regarding Therrien’s assertion that Kreider’s play was “reckless,” no comment. Kreider has lightning speed and as he took his shot was tripped by Emelin. Therrien referring to Kreider’s reputation is just a way of reminding the refs to keep an eye on him. I hope Kreider doesn’t let it affect him. He must continue to stay aggressive. If their players want to take penalties, that benefits the Rangers.

It all shapes up as an exciting storyline for Game 2. How will the Canadiens come out? Will they use it as motivation or look for revenge? The Rangers must control their emotions. They also still have that losing streak when leading a series. It should be interesting.