Canes provide clarity on starting goalie for playoffs after Frederik Andersen injury
Antti Raanta has done all that has been asked of him in his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Signed as a free agent, he was brought in to give the Canes’ goaltending a more veteran look and has done that. He was asked to be the backup for goalie Frederik Andersen and has done that while staying sharp and staying positive in his approach.
No one knew he would also become “Father Finn” and something of a mentor to the younger Finnish players on the team, but Raanta has been that, too.
Now may come the biggest ask of all: Who will be the Canes’ starter when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.
Andersen’s lower-body injury Saturday in the loss at Colorado sent a jolt through everyone on the team and those who follow it. Many Canes fans likely feared the worst when Andersen, a Vezina Trophy candidate this season as the league’s best goalie, had to be helped off the ice late in the third period.
A few games away from the start of the playoffs and now this?
The reaction of Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour was simple and direct: Raanta was his starter Monday against Arizona and likely will be the starter until a timetable for Andersen’s return can be set. It’s Raanta’s net.
“Obviously, it’s a big concern,” Brind’Amour said Wednesday of Andersen’s status. “Goaltending is the most important part of the deal, so it’s definitely a concern. We have to give it time to see where he’s at.”
Andersen, who underwent an MRI, has not been skating but has been able to do some off-ice work. There’s a sense he could be ready when the playoffs begin the first week of May but that remains to be seen.
Raanta said he will try not to take a “big-picture” approach to what’s in front of him for now.
“It’s pretty much one day at a time and it has been like that pretty much the whole year for me,” Raanta said Monday. “One shot at a time.”
Raanta, 32, put in his 23rd start of the season against the Coyotes and allowed three goals — all in the second period — on 26 shots. That was good enough against the NHL’s worst team as he ran his record to 13-5-4, with a 2.46 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
“He’s done a helluva job for us,” Canes goalie coach Paul Schonfelder said Wednesday. “He’s played some big games for us. He beat Colorado, beat St. Louis. It’s not like he’s just getting the bottom teams.”
When Raanta is at his best, his play can be borderline brilliant. He doesn’t have the size of Andersen, who seemingly blocks out the sun at times, and must rely on his quickness, anticipation and positioning.
“I think there was a really good stretch of games in March,” Raanta said Monday before the Coyotes game. “The last few games there has been too (many) goals that go in where you go, ‘Oh man, I should have done something different.’
“I think there has been too much thinking going into the games and not playing with your instincts. Just try to get to the groove again and get that rhythm going. Make those saves you have to make and if you have to make some bigger ones, you try your best to make those. Just being more sharper in the net and bring that confidence.”
Raanta and Andersen each played eight games in March, Raanta going 4-1-3 (including a 36-save shutout of Colorado) and Andersen 4-3-1. Andersen had started six of the eight games in April before the injury Saturday.
Raanta got the job done Monday. He made some nice stops on Arizona’s four unsuccessful power plays, and also had one of those moments midway through the second period that can make or break a goalie.
Raanta went behind the net to stop the puck, leaving it for defenseman Ethan Bear. When Bear tried to pass it up the ice, the puck hit Raanta and bounced out to the Coyotes’ Travis Boyd, who was looking at an open net, but Raanta made a quick push back to his right for a sliding save.
“He’s such a beauty,” Canes forward Max Domi said after the game. “He’s such a good goalie, too.”
The Canes (49-20-8), seeking to win the Metropolitan Division, have five games left in the regular season. It will be interesting to see how Brind’Amour splits those games between Raanta and rookie Pyotr Kochetkov, recalled Sunday from the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
“I think every goalie wants to play,” Raanta said. “When you get a few games in a row, it builds your confidence and you start playing more with your instincts and play as the game comes to you. Especially when you have that game where you’re not super happy about what you do. The next game you might start to overthink things.
“Now it’s just one day at a time and building that confidence and playing how I want to play.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 2:24 PM.
