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Carolina Hurricanes Goaltending is Ruining Playoff Chances

By Charles Taylor

Oct 18, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Mark Letestu (55) tries to get the puck past Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) as Canes right winger Lee Stempniak (21) looks on during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers center Mark Letestu (55) tries to get the puck past Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward (30) as Canes right winger Lee Stempniak (21) looks on during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports /
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One month into the season, the Carolina Hurricanes sit near the bottom of the league with 6 points and goaltending is to blame.

This past summer, the Carolina Hurricanes turned heads with offseason acquisitions of Teuvo Teravainen and Lee Stempniak. They also turned heads for another reason, the resigning of long time goalie Cam Ward. The Conn Smythe winner has had a rough few years with injuries and inconsistent play plaguing him. So, the resigning of him made many scratch their head.

Along with fellow goalie Eddie Lack, Ward was pegged to bounce back to his better form earlier in their career and Caniacs went with it hesitantly. Nine games into the season, it seems clear the management’s bet on Lack and Ward has failed.

Goaltending Woes

Looking at the numbers, both Lack and Ward have been some of the worst goalies in the NHL when it comes to save percentage. Of goalies with at least 3 games played, Ward and Lack currently sit 40th and 42nd respectively in save percentage (Ward with .869, Lack with .857). Neither of those are starting material and its debatable whether those are acceptable numbers for a backup.

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To keep this fair, it should be pointed out that the Hurricanes have blown some coverages and hung their goalies out to dry. However, that’s largely not representative of the Canes defense. Currently, the Canes defense is limiting opponents to 27.6 shots per game, good enough for 7th best in the league. Considering 6 of 8 played games were on the road, that number might even be a bit inflated. Those numbers are equatable with teams like the Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues. On top of that the Canes are 28th in total penalty minutes per game and are killing 85% of opposition power plays.

So where are the losses coming from? Well, at 5v5, Carolina is dead last in save percentage with .882. Spoiler alert, that’s not an ideal number. Clearly there is a major issue in net. The other teams with comparable defense stats are all playoff caliber teams, and yet Carolina is squandering. It would be foolish to think that a number like that is solely Ward or Lack’s fault, but it would be just as foolish to believe that the defense is the main source of Carolina’s woes.

Negating Positives

Maybe the biggest problem with the goaltending right now is that its ruining an otherwise solid start to the year. In the 8 games played, Carolina had leads in 6 and won only 2. Not every lead is going to be held, but the current conversion ratio is not acceptable.

With the exception of the game in Detroit, Carolina has been in every contest and scored goals. Last season, the Canes struggled to pocket goals, but so far, the injection of of skill, speed, and the rise of Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask has made Carolina’s offense not only respectable, but dangerous.

The Carolina Hurricanes are scoring at a 3 goals per game pace, which is tied for 7th best in the NHL. The power play units are also sporting a near 26% conversion rate on the man advantage, which is top 5. Finally, led by Jordan Staal, the Canes have a faceoff winning percentage that’s 2nd best in the league.

By almost all metrics, the Hurricanes have improved their offense and kept their defense at about the same level as it was the last season. If goaltending was average, the Carolina Hurricanes are in a much different position.

What’s the Fix?

The Hurricanes need a new goalie, plain and simple. Now where that goalie would come from is anyone’s guess. There’s 20 year old Alex Nedeljkovic in the American Hockey League with Charlotte who many people peg as the Canes goalie of the future. However, he is getting lite up almost as much as Lack or Ward, but in the minors. It’s probably not his time yet. Also in Charlotte is former Cane Michael Leighton. In 4 games, Leighton is 3-1 and playing quite well, so he might be an option.

The more popular choice is trading for an expansion fodder goalie via trade. Using the assets Ron Francis has compiled, like a Haydn Fleury, Roland McKeown, or Julien Gauthier, the Hurricanes would acquire someone like Marc-Andre Fleury or Ben Bishop. As fantastic as that option would be, it won’t happen until the trade deadline gets a lot closer.

Next: Victor Rask is Getting Better and Better

So, for the time being, the Hurricanes are stuck. Hopefully, the guys in net can improve in November and help dig this team out of the October hole. Unfortunately, the early evidence points to the contrary.

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