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Eddie Lack: 2016-17 By the Numbers
- Age: 29
- NHL Seasons: 4
- Games Played: 20
- Record: 8-7-3, one shutout
- Goals-Against Average: 2.64
- Save Percentage: .902 overall, .914 even strength
- Contract Status: Completed first year of two-year, $5.5 million extension
Making the Grade
Simply put: Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Eddie Lack did not have an ideal season. Lack was plagued with injuries (concussions) and inconsistency from start to finish and only started 18 games this season.
Lack was called out by Bill Peters in a mid-season scrum in which Peters stated “one guy (Cam Ward) is well ahead of the other guy (Lack).” The statement, though, had a reverse effect on Lack’s confidence, and he played well after the comments from Peters.
Lack’s strongest stretch of games was in a red-hot March in which he rambled off five wins and secured 12 out of a possible 16 points in the standings for the Canes. The month, though, ended with a devastating 4-3 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings in which Lack was run over by Andreas Athanasiou while the game-winning goal was scored. Luckily, Lack was not seriously injured on the play and was later released from the hospital with only a neck sprain.
Lack is not the sole component of the Hurricanes’ goaltending woes as Cam Ward can shoulder a share of the blame as well. However, with a .902 save percentage this season, Lack had his second-worst season statistically out of his four-year sample size, so he did himself no favors.
With general manager Ron Francis stating at his end of season press conference that he will fix the goaltending situation in Carolina, we may have seen Lack’s final game in a Hurricanes sweater. Lack has never started 40 games in a season and is now 29 years old. He is a serviceable backup goaltender in the NHL but will not be the long-term answer in net for the Hurricanes.
Exit Interview
Poll
How do you grade Eddie Lack’s 2016-17 performance?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A - significantly outperformed expectations
-
3%
B - outperformed expectations
-
22%
C - met expectations
-
54%
D - underperformed expectations
-
19%
F - significantly underperformed expectations