The injury bug is back, so the “Net Effect” takes a look at some goalie situations worth monitoring.
Carolina Hurricanes- Cam Ward will be out for up to two months with an MCL sprain. Bad news for the Hurricanes, as he has been one of the better goalies over the last five seasons. Dan Ellis will get the bulk of starts, and is probably owned in your league, but take a look at Justin Peters. He got the win making 37 saves in a 4-3 win over the Sabres on Tuesday since Ellis was out sick. He’s been on the Hurricanes for four seasons but only appeared in 29 games, although he put up a solid goals against average and save percentage last season.
Florida Panthers- Jose Theodore was placed on injured reserve and will miss 5-6 weeks with a groin injury. He hadn’t been playing well anyway, but then again, neither has backup Scott Clemmenson. That’s why the Panthers decided to let Jacob Markstrom get a crack at the job. Well, he looked good Tuesday allowing only one goal in a 4-1 win over the Jets. He may not give you the most wins due to the team he plays on, but he should put up solid numbers in the other categories, if you need depth.
Ottawa Senators- Craig Anderson is still out with an ankle injury, and Ben Bishop has gotten most of the starts in his absence. But Robin Lehner has now started two of three. Lehner has lost both starts, but has looked very good in each, stopping 33 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Islanders, and 44 in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Bruins. He’s only played ten games in his career prior to this season but in this small sample size, has shown he can keep the Senators in games.
Tampa Bay Lightning- Mathieu Garon Is day-to-day with lower body injury after leaving Monday’s game. He had lost four games in a row, prompting the switch back to Anders Lindback in net. Lindback has gone 1-1, but it’s interesting to see how this shakes up when Garon returns soon, since Lindback had been the starter, until the recent handful of starts in a row by Garon. Cedrick Desjardins (2-0 in 2010-11) will back up Lindback for at least a game or two while Garon is out.
