Eddie Lack gets a new backup

The Vancouver Canucks goaltending saga took another interesting twist Friday.
Rarely used backup Jacob Markstrom was dispatched to Utica of the AHL to get in some playing time while Joacim Ericsson was called up. The move puts more of an onus on temporary starter Eddie Lack to play well – and often – during the stretch drive of the NHL regular season.
“We just want to get (Markstrom) in some games, so we’re just going to switch out him and Eriksson,” said coach Willie Desjardins. “We just thought it was best for (Markstrom) to get a couple games, and he’ll be coming back.”
Goaltenders have been the talk of the town in Vancouver on an almost daily basis in recent years. Just the characters have changed.
Markstrom struggled in his lone start with the Canucks on March 3, allowing three goals on four shots before he was pulled in a loss to San Jose. Lack has appeared in 10 straight games since starter Ryan Miller was sidelined with a knee injury Feb. 22 against the New York Islanders.
Ericsson, a 24-year-old Gavle, Sweden native, who signed as a free agent with Vancouver prior to the 2013-14 season, is expected to serve solely as a backup and practice goalie. Lack should continue to start each game, including Saturday’s home contest against the woeful Toronto Maple Leafs, until Markstrom is back from the minors or Miller is healthy enough to play.
Ericsson is up on an emergency basis, and Markstrom will have that status again when he comes back.
The Canucks (38-25-4) are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings as they fight to hold on to a playoff spot in the ultra-tight Western Conference. Lack is 5-3-1 in his last nine games and 10-9-3 overall with a 2.48 goals-against average. Lack's increasingly heavy workload could see him meet or surpass the 41 games he played last season as a rookie, but he is not worried about fatigue.
“I try to get my reps in at practice and everything like that and not to think too much about the next game or try to serve energy,” he said. “I just try to go as hard, as I can – and that gets me ready.”
Note_Ericsson did not arrive in time for practice Friday, so a Canucks staff member filled in as the second goalie.