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‘Canes to start Peters in first game since Ward injury

JustinPeters

The Hurricanes have announced that AHL call-up Justin Peters will get the start in goal on Tuesday when they take on the Sabres in Carolina.

Peters, 26, was summoned from the minors on Monday after it was revealed starting netminder Cam Ward could miss the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury.

Under normal circumstances, the starting gig would fall to backup Dan Ellis -- but the 32-year-old has fallen ill and will instead back up Peters tonight against Buffalo.

It’ll be very interesting to see how this plays out both tonight and moving forward.

Peters doesn’t have a large body of NHL work -- 28 career starts, 11-11-3 record, 3.23 GAA -- but has posted solid numbers with the Charlotte Checkers this season, sporting a 22-12-1 mark with a 2.29 GAA and .921 save percentage.

Ellis hasn’t been a starter since his time in Nashville and only has 30 appearances in the last three seasons. He is 3-2-0 with a .923 save percentage and 2.53 GAA this season, though.

‘Canes GM Jim Rutherford acknowledged the difficulty in replacing his No. 1 goalie, but said the organization has confidence in Ellis and Peters handling the load until Ward can return (possibly by playoff time.)

“He has good experience in the league and we haven’t been surprised by his performance,” Rutherford said of Ellis. "[Peters’] development has been very good and he’s having his best year as a pro -- he’s had an exceptional year in Charlotte.”