This week's Tuesday Top Five in Talking Points is a direct follow-up to this week's Monday debate.

For whatever reason, whether it has been Arturs Irbe or Cam Ward or Kevin Weekes in net or Paul Maurice or Peter Laviolette behind the bench, the two-goalie system hasn’t been a huge success with the Hurricanes.

It worked in 2001-02 (Irbe and Tom Barrasso during the regular season, Irbe and Weekes in the playoffs), 2002-03 (Irbe and Weekes, although the Hurricanes finished dead last) and 2005-06 (Ward and Martin Gerber).

But more often, it doesn’t.

Read about the top five seldom-used or ill-fated backups here.

With Cam Ward having started the past 16 games for the Hurricanes and likely to start the next three as well, Michael Leighton is getting a taste of what many other backup goalies have experienced in a Carolina uniform: The No. 2 Blues.

For whatever reason, whether it has been Arturs Irbe or Ward or Kevin Weekes in net or Paul Maurice or Peter Laviolette behind the bench, the two-goalie system hasn’t been a huge success with the Hurricanes.

It worked in 2001-02 (Irbe and Tom Barrasso during the regular season, Irbe and Weekes in the playoffs), 2002-03 (Irbe and Weekes, although the Hurricanes finished dead last) and 2005-06 (Ward and Martin Gerber).

But more often, it doesn’t. Here are five other seldom-used or ill-fated backups — Tuesday’s Top Five:

RALEIGH -- Michael Leighton insists he's not thinking ahead, that he's focusing solely on the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Canes' game Thursday night.

But with Cam Ward out with a groin injury, Leighton likely will start in goal this week against Pittsburgh, quickly followed by the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals. That's three games in four days against the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Simon Gagne and Alex Ovechkin. That's a lot for any goaltender to think about.

"It's never fun to see your No. 1 goalie get hurt (but) it's an opportunity for me to play," Leighton said today. "It's (bad) for our team, obviously, because Cam has been playing really well the last three or four games. ...  We just need to get a win any way we can these next two or three games and obviously I have to do my part."

ANAHEIM -- Center Eric Staal, who injured a shoulder Friday against the Los Angeles Kings, should play today against the Anaheim Ducks, Canes coach Peter Laviolette said.

Michael Leighton will get the start in goal, Laviolette said. Cam Ward was in goal against the Kings in the 4-3 overtime loss and has started the last two games. In his only start, Leighton was the winner in the Canes' 4-3 overtime win at Tampa Bay.

Rookie forward Zach Boychuk made his NHL debut against the Kings but was held out of the third period. He opened the game on the line with Rod Brind'Amour and Sergei Samsonov, but
Laviolette bumped up Chad LaRose or Dan LaCouture during the third.

"A 3-2 game, the kid hasn't played in a while, I just didn't want to put him in a situation he was uncomfortable with," Laviolette said today.

Goaltender Michael Leighton is slated to be Cam Ward’s backup this season, but he will be hard-pressed to match his performance for the Albany River Rats in the AHL playoffs last season.

His 98 saves, in a 3-2 five-overtime loss to Philadelphia, was believed to be a league record.

“It was disappointing we lost the game but looking back, it’s pretty exciting to be a part of something like that,” Leighton said. “It might be a long time before it ever happens again. I kept the stick and I’m in the process of getting one of the game sheets from the AHL to put on my wall.

“It’s probably something that will never happen to me again: 98 saves.”

Zac Dalpe paid his own way to this week’s prospect conditioning camp as an Ohio State recruit, to maintain his eligibility per NCAA rules. But he admits his mind isn’t fully made up yet.

The update Dalpe's tug-of-war between Ohio State and Plymouth (OHL) was one of several interesting notes from Wednesday's first day of Carolina's prospect conditioning camp.

Don't forget: The on-ice portion of this week's prospect conditioning camp starts at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at the RecZone.

They'll be out there Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well. That group includes Brandon Sutter, Jamie McBain, Zach Boychuk and seven others who will get a crash course in Canes trainer Pete Friesen's lofty fitness expectations.

Michael Leighton is also a possibility to participate, harkening back to a different goalie at a different prospect conditioning camp. In August 2001, after taking a year off of hockey, a 36-year-old Tom Barrasso celebrated his return to the NHL by outrunning a bunch of kids almost 20 years his junior on the track at Cardinal Gibbons.

Last week, the Canes decided that Michael Leighton had indeed done enough in the AHL to replace John Grahame as Cam Ward's backup this season. On Wednesday, Leighton, 27, signed a two-year contract worth $1.2 million to make it official.

The AHL's goalie of the year and an MVP candidate, Leighton led the AHL in shutouts (7) and save percentage (.931) and was third in goals-against average (2.10).

His 98-save performance in a five-overtime playoff loss, the longest game in AHL history, is believed to be a professional hockey record. At $600,000 per season, the Canes will save $800,000 in that spot. Grahame made $1.4 million in each of the past two seasons.