With injuries a constant threat, the Hurricanes find comfort and security in their three-goalie depth, a strategic luxury proving invaluable.
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the few teams in the league who have been carrying three netminders since the start of the season, but have since started to drift toward using only two.
With presumed starter Frederik Andersen struggling, a 0.875 save percentage and a six-game losing streak, he's since lost his spot in the crease, having not played since Dec. 4, a six-game absence.
In his place, Brandon Bussi has taken on the majority of starts, currently on a nine-game winning streak and posting a 0.911 save percentage, and Pytor Kochetkov is picking up the remainder, with seven starts on the year.
While many may be questioning if the team is itching to make a move to reduce that number down to two, the team is actually perfectly comfortable carrying three goaltenders on the active roster according to coach Rod Brind'Amour.
"We have three good ones right now and that's a real positive," Brind'Amour said. "We know the history with two of them and that's the reason we have three. Bus is taking advantage of the opportunity, so it's a real luxury to have that security.
It feels like every year, there's a least a handful of injuries to multiple Hurricanes goaltenders and with that sort of past, it makes sense that the team would be extra cautious when it comes to having multiple options in net.
"It's probably not the best for the three guys to get the maximum work, but like I said, it just takes one bad thing to happen and the next thing you know, you're down to two or even one," Brind'Amour said. "It's good insurance. We just have to figure out how to manage it."
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