Canes’ Malone, Lack get their chance

Brad Malone and Eddie Lack went through offseason conditioning, informal skates, training camp and preseason games. They watched the Carolina Hurricanes open the season in Nashville, then were introduced at PNC Arena on Saturday before the Canes’ home opener.

Malone was a healthy extra the first two games of the regular season while Lack was on the bench as the backup goalie to starter Cam Ward in both games. On Tuesday night, they get their chance to play, facing off against the Florida Panthers.

“After the (preseason) game against Washington I realized I wasn’t going to be slotted in to start the season,” Malone said Tuesday. “That’s something you work for all summer, to try and earn that spot. But that was the situation I was in and I just tried to stay ready for my opportunity, whenever that came.”

Canes center Riley Nash injured a shoulder Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings and will be out 10-14 days. Malone will start on the wing on Jay McClement’s line with Andrej Nestrasil against the Panthers, who lost 1-0 in Philadelphia on Monday.

“That’s not the way you want to go in,” Malone said of the Nash injury. “You want to earn it on your own merit. But I’ll go in and do my job and make it as hard as possible for them to take me out again.”

That’s what Malone did a year ago, in his first season with the Canes. In one stretch in late November and early December, he was held out of six straight games, went back in the lineup and stayed there for the next 17 games.

“It’s not easy,” Malone said. “Obviously, it’s no excuse. When you get in there, you’ve got to pick it up early and it’s an effort thing.

“Tonight’s an opening night for me, so I’m pretty excited.”

So is Lack. The Canes traded for the Swedish goalie during the NHL Draft and have since signed Lack, who had a year remaining on his contract, to a two-year extension.

Lack went into training camp eager to compete against Ward to be the starter on opening night. Ward earned the start, played well against the Predators in a 2-1 loss and was in net again for the home opener, played before a standing-room-only crowd. The Wings, trailing 2-1 after two periods, scored three times in the third for a 4-3 win.

Now, it’s Lack’s turn.

“Obviously it’s something I’ve been looking forward to since the trade, so it should be a fun night,” Lack said.

Lack said his grandmother would be at PNC Arena to see him play in an NHL game for the first time. His mother also will be on hand, he said.

“I just want to focus on my game and not get too carried away because it’s my first game,” Lack said. “Just focus on my technique and everything and have some fun out there.”

Canes coach Bill Peters said he expected the Canes (0-2) to play well in front of Lack.

“He’s a good teammate and they want to play hard in front of him,” Peters said. “I expect us to be doing good things all over the ice, in all three zones, and I expect Eddie to be more than solid. He’s been good for us in the preseason and I’m glad to get him in as soon as we have here. I don’t want him to sit. I expect a good performance out of Eddie.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Canes’ Malone, Lack get their chance."