Don't blame Eddie Lack for the Hurricanes' ineptitude
Bill Peters thinks Eddie Lack is a problem, but the Carolina Hurricanes' issues go far beyond their backup goaltender.
The head coach called Lack out in a lengthy tirade, staring in the direction of the netminder's stall and imploring the veteran to "make a (expletive) save" at the end of a fiery media scrum Friday.
Lack hasn't been consistent, but he's a convenient scapegoat for a head coach of a team that has a couple of more pressing concerns.
Take Carolina's starting goalie, Cam Ward, for example. Peters lamented the fact that he's had to rely on Ward to shoulder the bulk of the starts because of the backup's uneven play, but the No. 1 hasn't been good enough, either.
Ward gave up three goals on 21 shots in a 4-2 loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes on Friday night, and his last win came a month ago, on Feb. 4 against the New York Islanders.
He's played 50 of the Hurricanes' 61 games, but he's hardly deserved the heavy workload. Here's how the other goalies with at least 50 games played have fared this season:
| G | GP | Record | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergei Bobrovsky (CBJ) | 50 | 33-15-4 | 2.13 | .928 | 4 |
| Cam Talbot (EDM) | 57 | 32-18-7 | 2.39 | .920 | 5 |
| Martin Jones (SJ) | 52 | 30-15-6 | 2.28 | .915 | 2 |
| Tuukka Rask (BOS) | 51 | 30-15-4 | 2.26 | .913 | 6 |
| Peter Budaj (TB) | 54 | 27-21-3 | 2.16 | .916 | 7 |
| Frederik Andersen (TOR) | 52 | 24-14-13 | 2.73 | .916 | 3 |
| Ward | 50 | 21-20-8 | 2.65 | .904 | 2 |
Peters' apparent gripe with Lack is that he doesn't play well even when he's given a rare opportunity, but he's essentially the least used backup in the NHL among No. 2 netminders who've served the role with the same team all season, although he missed about three months with a concussion suffered in November.
The head coach was upset at Lack for allowing four goals on 16 shots in a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday night, but he was two starts removed from a 34-save shutout of the Ottawa Senators.
It's not just in goal where the Hurricanes' real problems lie.
While they are one of the best possession teams in the NHL, they aren't parlaying that into much actual scoring. Carolina ranks 23rd in goals per game (2.48), and the Hurricanes' power play is also 23rd with a mere 17 percent rate of success.
They're loaded with developing, young talent on defense, and the blue-liners are a major reason they've limited opponents to a fourth-best mark of 27.6 shots per contest, but the forwards aren't exactly an intimidating group, as a quick glance at the lines reveals:
(Courtesy: Daily Faceoff)
The Hurricanes sit dead last in the Eastern Conference at 25-26-10, but blaming a guy who has only played 16 percent of their games misses the point.
Carolina isn't this bad because of Eddie Lack, and instead of lashing out at his backup goalie for struggling, despite having so few chances to prove himself, Bill Peters should turn his attention to the team's more important weaknesses.