Goaltending has, once again, been a bit of a weakness for the Carolina Hurricanes as they try to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
But they might be getting some good news on that front when they come back out of the All-Star break next week.
The team announced that Eddie Lack, sidelined since early November with a concussion, has been activated from injured reserve and assigned to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers for a conditioning stint. That is the next step in his recovery from a concussion that has sidelined him for more than 30 games.
In Lack’s absence the Hurricanes have been relying almost entirely on Cam Ward to carry the position and play in 33 of the team’s past 37 games. That workload might be starting to wear on him a little bit as he’s lost four of his past five starts and given up 23 goals during that stretch. Overall he is on track to finish with a save percentage lower than .910 for the fourth time in the past five years.
The Hurricanes acquired Lack before the start of the 2015-16 season in an effort to solidify the position but his debut season with the team was probably considered a bit of a disappointment. His injury early this season has robbed him of the opportunity to bounce back from it so far, limiting him to just four games.
Carolina enters the All-Star break with 49 points in 48 games, seven points back of the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.