Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen keeps rolling along in Stanley Cup playoffs
Goalie Frederik Andersen has yet to say anything about his recent playoff workload or feeling worn down, Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Wednesday.
And Andersen would do that, Brind’Amour said.
“Yeah, I think he would,” he said. “There’s no doubt. If he’s not feeling great, he’s going to let us know. That’s kind of how we’ve done it with most of these guys.”
Andersen, hardly a big talker, made his fifth straight start in the playoffs Tuesday as the Canes took a 6-1 win over the New Jersey Devils and a 3-1 lead in the second-round series. It would be six in a row if he starts Game 5 on Thursday at PNC Arena -- his longest stretch in the regular season was three games.
Andersen allowed an early goal Tuesday on a deflection by the Devils’ Jack Hughes but nothing else. The Canes took charge of the game with five goals in the second period for a 6-1 lead and the Devils had no pushback in the third – five shots for the period.
Andersen, who faced 22 shots in the game, made some nice stops after the Hughes goal later in the first to keep it 1-0 and Martin Necas tied the score for the Canes late in the period.
“It was real important they didn’t get that next one,” Brind’Amour said after the game. “I think that was huge. He had to steady it and I think he made a big save right after that (Hughes goal) and I just kind of said, ‘OK, we’re OK here’ and he was good the rest of the night.”
Andersen was touched for four goals on 12 shots in Game 3, being pulled early in the second period as backup goalie Pyotr Kochetkov jumped into the game. The Devils rolled on to an 8-4 win.
Barely two minutes into Game 4, it was 1-0, Devils. But Andersen shut it down from there.
“Goalies, listen, they get all the attention and it’s probably overdone when we win and just get heaped on when you lose,” Brind’Amour said. “But that’s part of the job. It’s big-boy hockey here and he understands that really well.
“It looks like nothing bothers him. He looks like he’s in a preseason game sometimes. I think he has a great ability to kind of move on and do his job.”
Goalie Antti Raanta sat out another game Tuesday with the illness that he apparently cannot fully shake. Raanta was scheduled to be on the ice Wednesday for some work, although his availability for Thursday and Game 5 is not known.
“Hopefully ‘Rants’ will be in a little better shape and give us an option there, and we can move on from there,” Brind’Amour said.
Winning hockey, but not sexy
Jordan Martinook had a quick reply Wednesday when asked about the strength of this Hurricanes team.
“Work ethic, I’d say,” he said.
Fitting he’d be the one to say it. Ask anyone on the Canes and they’ll say that on a team of hard workers, no one does more than Martinook, who busts it all the time.
The Canes have some stars but no real superstars. With the Canes, it’s more about the sum of the parts rather than any one part, any one player.
“It’s not sexy, it’s not flashy,” Martinook said. “It’s just guys who go out and work. Guys believe in what they can do and how they can work. It can look pretty good and it has in the wins in this series.”
‘Turbo’ on the mend
Injured forward Teuvo Teravainen continues to skate and get in some drills, albeit not in a team practice. Teravainen was on the ice Wednesday at the Canes’ practice facility with the scratches from Game 4 and the team’s “Black Aces” reserves.
“He’s getting better but he’s a long ways away,” Brind’Amour said. “He will not be playing this series, that’s for sure.”
Teravainen, called “Turbo” by teammates, needed surgery for a broken left hand after being slashed in the second game of the first-round series against the Islanders.
This story was originally published May 10, 2023 at 5:22 PM.
