Michael Leighton is returning to the Checkers, perhaps for even longer than one day.
With Eddie Lack healthy and making their trip to play Buffalo Thursday night, the Carolina Hurricanes reassigned Leighton to Charlotte on Wednesday. The veteran goaltender had spent the majority of the last month in the NHL while Lack recovered from a concussion, only making two brief cameos in Charlotte when scheduling allowed.
Leighton, 35, currently ranks fifth in the AHL with a 1.80 goals average and fourth with a .933 save percentage. He is 7-2-2 on the season, having recorded all but four of the Checkers’ 11 victories. The Checkers went 1-0-1 in games in they were able to “borrow” Leighton for since Lack suffered his injury.
While in the NHL this season, Leighton appeared in three games, going 2-1-0 with a 3.53 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. His Nov. 27 victory over the Florida Panthers marked his first in the NHL since 2010.
The Checkers, who have lost three games in a row and are winless in 11 straight games on the road, conclude their pre-holiday schedule with a Thursday night rematch in Cleveland.
