Roberto Luongo and Ryan Miller started in their respective country’s nets in the 2010 gold medal game, but they won’t represent their countries in their respective opening contests. Carey Price gets Canada’s first start while Luongo goes second, according to various sources including the CBC’s Tim Wharnsby.
In the grand scheme of things, this means Price will face Norway while Luongo squares off against Austria.
Much like with Quick starting the tournament off for the U.S., many will conclude that this means that Canadian head coach Mike Babcock is leaning toward Price as the No. 1.
The truest test might be when Canada faces a more formidable opponent, as neither Norway nor Austria are concerned realistic medal contenders.
Price, 26, is having a better statistical season and comes into Sochi with a three-game winning streak. Conversely, Luongo, 34, lost his last five games and six of seven overall. Of course, he’s also the guy with a gold medal start on his resume, so this is far from a slam dunk.