West Coast Connection

MONTREAL -- Two B.C. boys are already looking right back at home on the East Coast.

Carey Price showed no signs of rust in his first NHL game since November 25, while Shea Weber's slapper earned him a second standing ovation in as many home games.
And the two Team Canada teammates only had praise for each other.
"Carey was good as always. He made some key saves at key times. We know what we're going to get with him," underlined the night's first star, who so far is averaging a point per game with Montreal. "He's a great player and a great competitor, and he gives us a chance to win every night."
As true as that may be, Weber and four other Habs still chipped in to find the back of the net -- even making it 4-0 at one point -- to help ease Price back into action following an 11-month absence.
"He's going to do this enough for us, so we wanted to give him a break," cracked Weber, who blasted home the night's third goal with an absolute bomb which has become his trademark. "He had been off for a little while, and he's just going to get better from here."

Joking or not, the gesture did not go unappreciated.
"I thought we were skating well and moving the puck, but it's always a bonus to put up a five-spot," acknowledged Price, who made 27 saves in the effort. "It's always good to see your teammates score and have success."
"It was awesome [to score five]. It was a great team game," added Weber. "They got some momentum back in the second, but we did a good job to regroup between periods, and played better in the third."
For all the talk of goals however, it was actually a punishing check on Tobias Rieder that got fans' and teammates' jaws alike to literally drop.
"He's a big man, and he's really good at sizing guys up," continued Price on Weber, who finished the night with three hits. "I'm sure you'll be seeing that all season."

But if bone-crushing checks brought lingering health concerns back to anyone's mind, the 29-year-old netminder was quick to nix them postgame.
"I felt fine. I wasn't going to go if I didn't feel 100 percent," stressed Price. "It's nice to get back into the routine, and get the feel of the regular season again."