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Goalies brace for challenge of compressed season

Published: January 18, 2013 Comment on this article

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — One good goalie probably won't be enough to get NHL teams through this season's lockout-compressed schedule.

With 48 games crammed into roughly three months recovery time will be at a premium. Goaltenders used to playing virtually every minute of every game will have to pace themselves — maybe even take some extra nights off — to stay fresh.

photo - Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick takes a short break during NHL hockey practice in El Segundo, Calif., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. The Kings will host the Chicago Blackhawks in the season opener on Saturday. With 48 games crammed into roughly three months recovery time will be at a premium. Goaltenders use to playing every minute of every game will have to pace themselves, maybe even take some extra nights off, to stay fresh. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick takes a short break during NHL hockey practice in El Segundo, Calif., Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. The Kings will host the Chicago Blackhawks in the season opener on Saturday. With 48 games crammed into roughly three months recovery time will be at a premium. Goaltenders use to playing every minute of every game will have to pace themselves, maybe even take some extra nights off, to stay fresh. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Carolina's Cam Ward started a league-most 142 of 164 regular-season games the past two seasons. He calls the challenge of the more concentrated season "an adrenaline rush."

He and Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff are the only goalies who have started at least 80 percent of their team's games — 66 games each season — in that span. That could be hard for anyone to do this season.