Price back at practice, Drouin to play after missing 22 games with injury

Two key members of the Montreal Canadiens took a step forward Saturday.

Carey Price was back at practice with his teammates for the first time in 2021-22 after spending months recovering from offseason knee surgery. There's still no timeline for the goaltender's return to the lineup, which has been the case since he restarted the process in January.

Price had been occasionally skating on his own and did so for two consecutive days earlier in March. He spent one month in the NHL's player assistance program at the start of the season before beginning to work his way back from the knee procedure.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Drouin will play against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The forward missed 22 games after sustaining an upper-body ailment in January. Drouin, who'll turn 27 on March 28, has 20 points over 32 games in 2021-22.

Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher will not play against the Senators due to a lower-body ailment.

Montreal enters Saturday's action sitting last in the NHL in both points and points percentage.