The Carolina Hurricanes have been on an unexpected rise toward playoff contention on the back of some solid (or maybe it’s just risen to league average) goaltending from Cam Ward and Eddie Lack. Now, there will be a little turmoil as starting goaltender Cam Ward has landed on injured reserve with a concussion, the team announced on Wednesday.
Since it’s a concussion, there is no timeline for the return of the pending UFA. He will miss at least seven days.
The team isn’t sure when Ward suffered the concussion. General manager Ron Francis said that Ward complained of dizziness on Tuesday and was diagnosed with the concussion Wednesday, according to Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer.
With Ward out for at least a week, the team has recalled 21-year-old netminder Daniel Altshuller from their AHL affiliate. Altshuller will likely spend his time playing second fiddle to Lack.
Through 32 games this season, Ward is 14-11-5 with a .905 save percentage. While that overall save percentage isn’t all that impressive, Ward has managed to steal a couple games recently and between those performances and Lack’s improvement, the ‘Canes are just three points out of a wild card spot.