Canadiens' Price out at least one week with injury

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was placed on injured reserve Thursday and will be out of the lineup for at least one week, coach Michel Therrien said.

"We don't know how long Carey will be out, but for us, it's business as usual," Therrien said Thursday after practice at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. "We're focusing on tomorrow's game."

Mike Condon will get the start Friday at the New Jersey Devils, who the Canadiens will host Saturday to begin a stretch of four out of five games at Bell Centre.

Montreal called up goaltender Dustin Tokarski on Thursday from St. John's in the American Hockey League to serve as Condon's backup Friday.

Therrien said forward Alexander Semin also was placed on injured reserve and will be out a minimum of one week. The Canadiens recalled Christian Thomas from St. John's to take Semin's spot on the roster.

In addition to the back-to-back games against the Devils, the Canadiens host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday and the Washington Capitals on Thursday in the first meeting of the season between the two Eastern Conference powers. If Price were to be out longer than a week, the Canadiens visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 5 and host the Boston Bruins on Dec. 9.

Price left the game Wednesday against the New York Rangers after two periods with the same lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for nine games from Oct. 30 through Nov. 19.

Price's right leg appeared to bend awkwardly when he was trying to move across the crease during a sequence in the second period.

Condon finished the game and made 11 saves in the third period to secure the 5-1 win for the Canadiens.

Condon found out he was going in during the second intermission.

"Goalies know how goalies move, and you can tell when a guy obviously isn't 100 percent or something happened and he got hit," Condon said after the game Wednesday. "I saw what happened and started getting my mind mentally ready. You've always got to be ready at the drop of a hat, because you never know when that moment can come."

Condon started all nine games Price missed. Montreal went 5-2-2, and Condon had a .904 save percentage and 2.39 goals-against average, including a 4-0-1 record with a .937 save percentage and 1.60 GAA in his first five starts.

He allowed 13 goals in his past four starts and went 1-2-1 with a .857 save percentage and 3.47 GAA.

"Have a short memory, focus on the things that matter," Condon said Wednesday of what he learned. "It doesn't matter about the game you played before, it just matters about being in the moment. Whether it's a bad goal or a nice save, you've got to move on to the next one because there's a lot of games to be played."

In Semin's absence, Therrien confirmed Bud Holloway will make his NHL debut against the Devils on Friday. Holloway, 27, was a third-round pick (No 86) of the Los Angeles Kings at the 2006 NHL Draft. He spent three seasons with Manchester of the AHL and scored 28 goals with 61 points in 78 games in 2009-10.

Holloway then moved on to Sweden, where he had three excellent seasons with Skelleftea, and played one season with Bern in Switzerland before signing with the Canadiens as a free agent on July 1.

When Holloway was recalled Sunday by the Canadiens from St. John's, where he had five goals and 20 points in 18 games, it was his first time being on an NHL team. Now, he will make his debut at age 27 on Friday.

"I told him today on the ice," Therrien said. "He'll be ready."