Carolina Hurricanes Went From Having a Bad Problem to a Great Problem in Net
The Carolina Hurricanes looked for goaltending help earlier this season. Now, they have two potential starting netminders for the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Once upon a time, the Carolina Hurricanes had a mystery on their hands.
They entered the season as one of the favorites for the Stanley Cup, yet they sat outside the playoff picture at the NHL's holiday break. The three goalies who played for them at that point had save percentages of under .895. One of them, Frederik Andersen, had to leave the team temporarily to deal with a blood-clotting issue.
In need of improvement, the Hurricanes were speculated to be looking for goaltending help. They claimed 28-year-old Spencer Martin off waivers while 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov rehabbed an injury. For a moment, Martin seemed to be the solution, with a 4-0-1 record, 1.97 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.
But after the all-star break, those goaltending worries subsided. After Andersen returned to game action in March, those worries became nothing but memories. Now, the question is who gets the crease in the playoffs after clinching a spot on Thursday.
Kochetkov's posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA since Feb. 4, and Andersen is undefeated since his return, with seven wins. The 34-year-old's .957 save percentage leads the NHL in March among goalies with at least five starts, as does his 1.14 GAA.
"I feel like I'm just excited to play," Andersen told reporters after a 4-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings Thursday night. "That's the biggest thing. I'm just enjoying playing. Having a lot of fun being in the room with the guys. Seeing the guys again means a lot, so obviously, it's been a ton of fun."
Andersen and Kochetkov have played seven games each in March. Andersen's stats are better than Kotchetkov's 3-3-1 record in the month, with a .898 save percentage and 2.86 GAA.
That said, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said Thursday he thinks Andersen is still getting into a rhythm to catch up, and the team hasn't wanted to overwork him.
So what's the strategy in net for the first round of the playoffs? Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed the topic in Tuesday's episode of The Hockey News Pre-Game Show:
(Transcript lightly edited for clarity)
Ryan Kennedy: I feel like Carolina has the luxury at this point of starting with Andersen because he is so hot. Let's just assume he maintains this heat for the next three weeks or so. I think you probably start with him, and if there are any signs of a problem, you go to Kochetkov right away.
Michael Traikos: It's a great problem to have.
Ryan Kennedy: Exactly. It's a luxury and one we've seen more in the playoffs. Vegas played Logan Thompson and Adin Hill. Colorado, when Darcy Kuemper got hurt, Pavel Francouz took over, and it was fine.
There used to be that thought that you needed one guy. I think that's gone by the wayside. It's a different game. It's such a hard schedule in the playoffs that you need at least two guys that you're confident in. So, for Carolina, it's very important that they have two guys, and I think right now, they do.
Michael Traikos: It's very rare that you've got an Andrei Vasilevsky or Connor Hellebuyck or even maybe an Igor Shesterkin where you can say, "From Game 1 to the final game, we are ride or die with you."