Inside Frederik Andersen’s blazing start for the Hurricanes in 2026 NHL playoffs
Fred-die, Fred-die, Fred-die …
It’s all the rage, you know. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been making saves, winning games and impressing, well, everyone, as the Canes have zoomed into the Eastern Conference Final in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“He’s locked in, an absolute brick wall,” defenseman Jaccob Slavin said.
Who can argue?
Not Canes fans. They’ve been chanting his name at Lenovo Center since the playoffs began.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been asked about Andersen more and more as Andersen has started and won the first eight playoff games. Brind’Amour has said all the right praiseworthy things.
But it’s almost like that baseball superstition about the pitcher in the midst of throwing a no-hitter: admire from afar but the less said, the better. Just leave him alone and let him keep hanging up the zeroes.
Or in Andersen’s case, it has been 0, 2, 1, 2, 0, 2, 1, 2.
That’s his goals-allowed linescore, so to speak, as the Canes swept the Ottawa Senators in four games in the opening round of the playoffs, then did the same to the Philadelphia Flyers in the second. Andersen became the first goalie since Hall of Famer Jacques Plante in 1969 to begin the playoffs allowing two goals or fewer in his first eight games.
“I’m just sitting back and watching that. I don’t think anyone predicted that,” Brind’Amour said.
Andersen ‘playing lights out’
Andersen opened each series with a shutout win, in the Canes’ case the perfect tone-setting start. Three of the eight wins came in overtime, when one lapse in net can cost you a game, perhaps shift momentum in the series.
The Hurricanes twice went to OT against the Flyers, who clawed their way into the playoffs down the stretch and then held off the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round. Jackson Blake’s goal, his second of the game, was the winner Saturday in a 3-2 victory that ended the series in Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Andersen’s numbers through the first two rounds: a 1.12 goals-against average and .950 save percentage, having stopped 191 of 201 shots.
“He’s been playing lights-out,” Brind’Amour said Saturday.
Andersen has been in such a groove, so unflappable, that he once defended the net with his paddle upside down after being jostled and knocked down in the crease by the Flyers’ Alex Bump.
Brind’Amour went into the playoffs saying the Canes probably would need to use both Andersen and goalie Brandon Bussi. He hasn’t had to call Bussi’s name yet.
“They both deserve to play, but there’s been no reason to go in any other direction,” Brind’Amour said.
Andersen, 36, has had playoff success before in his career, with the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs before coming to Carolina in 2022. He has now played in 93 playoff games and has 54 wins, seven of them shutouts. His career numbers are a 2.28 GAA and .916 save percentage.
Hurricanes benefit from keeper’s calm
Andersen isn’t a flashy goalie. The Dane, a big presence in net at 6-4 and 229 pounds, makes the occasional flopping, scrambling save but at his best is poker-faced and smooth in his play, making tough saves appear routine, with a modicum of movement. He has been unfazed by the havoc around him in the playoffs, especially when the Canes have been shorthanded and had to kill off penalties.
“And what some people may not notice is how well he handles the puck,” forward Taylor Hall said Saturday. “He’s so calm back there. He makes the right play every time and makes it a lot easier on our D.”
The Canes’ defense has made it easier for Andersen at times, too. He faced just 17 shots Saturday.
“The extra layer,” Andersen called Slavin and his D corps.
Andersen has had his share of knee issues in his career. His numbers during the regular season were pedestrian as Bussi carried much of the load.
But Andersen enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime in playing for his native Denmark in the Milan Winter Olympics. He didn’t win a medal, but now is after the NHL’s biggest prize and seemingly inspired by it all, judging by his play.
Buffalo or Montreal? The Canes plan on being ready for either in the conference final and for now can sit back and watch those two battle it out.
The Eastern Conference final will begin with two games at Lenovo Center. The dates and game times for the best-of-seven series will be announced later by the league.
“Every series is a race to four,” Andersen said Saturday. “That’s our mindset. You want to win the next one, however you have to do it. That’s really the focus.”
