Carolina Hurricanes: 5 takeaways from win over Blue Jackets

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COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 10: Goaltender Cam Ward #30 of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jaccob Slavin #74 of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nick Foligno #71 of the Columbus Blue Jackets battle for position in front of the net during the third period of a game on November 10, 2017 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

5. Cam Ward will be up and down as a backup

Having Ward in the backup role will take some adjustment. Ward was the starter for this team for the better part of the last decade and beyond. He’s the main reason that the Canes won the 2006 Stanley Cup while he won the Conn Smythe Trophy in his rookie season.

However, the past few seasons have seen a pretty sharp decline from Ward and the Canes were left searching for answers. Bringing in Eddie Lack did not help and that is why general manager Ron Francis reached out to acquire Darling.

With Darling now in the starting role, head coach Bill Peters has a reliable option to turn to in Ward. Just 14 games into the season, Ward already has three quality starts against the Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and St. Louis Blues.

The Nov. 2 start against the Colorado Avalanche looked like the Ward that made most fans concerned with the five goals he let up. Yet, bad starts do happen to everyone and Ward responded in a very encouraging way in the win over Columbus.

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