It’s been another rough year for the Carolina Hurricanes. After a strong stretch through mid-January vaulted the team into playoff contention, it’s been a steady downhill run that has made a playoff appearance for the first time since 2009 all but impossible. With the Canes sitting nine points out of an Eastern-Conference wild-card spot with 16 games to play, it would take a miracle to avoid an eighth straight long summer.
There have been several issues that have led to this trying season for Carolina. One, however, that has plagued the team for years now has reared its ugly head again: goaltending. Simply put, the Hurricanes have not gotten good enough netminding this year to be a playoff team. Not even close.
The team currently ranks 26th in the NHL with a .898 team save percentage this season. That’s not going to get the job done, especially for a team like the Hurricanes that also ranks in the bottom third of the league in scoring. Of the teams currently in playoff position, St. Louis ranks the lowest at 25 with a .900 team save percentage. The Blues, however, are 14th in goals for per game, while the Canes are 24th.
The Canes will have to find a way to get better goaltending if they want to end their playoff drought in the near future. The same was true at the end of last season, when the Canes finished the season 27th in team save percentage. Unfortunately for Carolina, hamstrung by a lack of better options that would not cost an arm and a leg, general manager Ron Francis was forced to bring back last year’s tandem of Cam Ward and Eddie Lack.
The results have been predictable. Ward was brought back as an unrestricted free agent on a two-year deal, and Lack was signed to a two-year extension prior to the start of the 2015-16 regular season.
While Ward has had his moments this season, particularly in the month of November when he compiled a 6-4-2 record, .935 save percentage and 1.74 goals against average, he simply has not performed up to the standards of an NHL starting goaltender this year. He currently sits at 22-20-2 with a .905 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average. The league average team save percentage is .913. Any team with a starting goalie below that is already fighting an uphill battle to reach the postseason. Only four teams with a team save percentage below that number are in playoff position, and all are still above Carolina.
Take the team’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday night, for instance. In overtime, Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly circled in the offensive zone, pulled up between the circles and put an unscreened shot on net that slipped through Ward’s pads and in. That’s not a goal an NHL starting goaltender can give up, particularly for the game-deciding goal in overtime in a game in which his team outplayed its opponent.
A big part of Ward’s problem this year has been the number of games he’s played. He’s gone long stretches without a game off and has already started 52 games. A goalie of his age and ability should be looking at around 50 games maximum for an entire season.
Unfortunately for Ward and the Canes, injuries and inconsistent play have completely derailed Lack’s season, leaving the team without a viable second option behind Ward. When the Canes were playing well and in the playoff hunt, the team had no choice but to ride Ward, particularly while Lack was sidelined with a concussion, leading to Ward simply wearing down.
Even when healthy this season, Lack has not been able to provide the team with reliable goaltending. He currently sports a 3-5-2 record with a .886 save percentage and 2.97 goals against average. Those numbers are not acceptable for an NHL goalie.
Frustration with Lack’s play came to a head at a recent morning skate. Following a 4-3 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in which Lack allowed four goals on 16 shots, head coach Bill Peters sounded off on the Swedish backup’s play in response to a question about goalie competition.
“Well, you’ve got to push,” Peters said. “One guy has played 10 games. Eddie has played 10 games and was poor in his last outing, let’s not kid ourselves, right? There were 16 shots, four went in. Not good enough. You look at his numbers in the league, they’re not good enough. So I don’t think it’s much of a competition. We’ve got a guy who’s well ahead of the other guy. That’s what I see and the numbers back that up.
“So when he gets in another game, you better play. You better earn some respect from your teammates. Your teammates are out there working their bag off. You better get some saves and a timely save at the right time wouldn’t hurt. That’s a little bit honest, eh? I just looked it up. You look up any goalie who has played 10 games in the National Hockey League and the top 60 in save percentage, I know who’s 60. There’s 30 teams. Not good enough.”
Peters then looked down the hallway towards Lack’s locker stall* and said “Make a [expletive] save” before walking off. Peters backpedaled a couple days later and called the comments “not my proudest moment.”
He had a point, though. The numbers are not good enough. If the Canes want to avoid stretching their playoff drought to nine seasons next year, they’re going to have to see those goalie numbers improve. With the same tandem providing the Canes with subpar play for two years in a row, the team will need to search for un upgrade in some form this summer.
Cleaning house and bringing in two new goalies would prove difficult, but one possible solution may be to move on from Lack either through a trade, buyout or the expansion draft and bring in a starting-caliber goalie, either to relegate Ward to backup duties or give him an even split and a more reasonable workload.
Whatever the solution is, it is clear that the Canes need better goaltending. It was clear after last season that the team needed better goaltending this season to reach the postseason. That did not happen, and is a big reason the postseason drought will hit eight years this April. If the Canes want to get back to the playoffs next season, a desperately needed upgrade in net needs to be a top priority this summer.
*Where Peters talks to the media is a good bit down the hall from the players’ locker stalls. Lack was not within earshot.
