As the Eastern Conference Final approaches, it's worth taking a look at the goaltenders that are about to battle.
The Carolina Hurricanes have had 11 days to rest before the start of their third-round series against the Montreal Canadiens, and even though they are 8-0 So far in these playoffs, winning the Conference Final could still prove to be tricky. Since 2018-19, the Canes have reached the third round three times and have failed to make it through to the Stanley Cup Final.
In those three third-round series, they have a 1-12 record. In 2018-17, they were swept by the Boston Bruins, who would go on to lose the Final to the St. Louis Blues. In 2022-23, they were swept by the Florida Panthers, who would go on to lose the Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights. Finally, in 2024-25, they lost to those same Panthers 4-1, before Matthew Tkachuk and co. won the Cup.
While one would be right to point out that there have been many personnel changes on the Hurricanes since they reached the first Conference Final under Rod Brind’Amour, the coach remains the same, and the starting goaltender is the same as in those last two occasions.
In 2022-23, Andersen played three of the four Conference Final games, losing them all. However, he had a .950 save percentage in the first game, a .941 in the second and a .833 in the last one.
Then, in 2024-25, he played four of the five games of the third-round series; he had a 20-save shutout in the sole win, but in the other three games, he gave up five goals once and four goals twice. In those three games, his SV stood at .750 twice and .833 once. Until the ECF, his SV was .931.
Fast forward to this year, and he has a 1.12 goals-against average and a .950 SV in eight games. However, in the series-clinching win against the Philadelphia Flyers, he let in two goals on 17 shots for a .882 SV.
Will the Canes’ 11 days off have allowed him to work through his ECF demons? Or has he spent them obsessing over the ghost of playoffs past? Furthermore, the veteran netminder has appeared in only 35 games this season, and he’s had more than his fair share of injury troubles over the years. Can he be consistent over the course of this whole postseason? The Canes better hope so, but at this stage, it feels like Andersen hasn’t really been tested after facing the Ottawa Senators and the Flyers in the first two rounds.
Meanwhile, Jakub Dobes has an 8-6 record in these playoffs, with a 2.52 GAA and a .910 SV%. He has had a few rough games in the first two series, but generally, he has been clutch for the Canadiens and has bounced back (or forward, as Martin St-Louis would say) every time he faltered. Furthermore, he did win his three duels against the Hurricanes this season, allowing eight goals for a 2.67 GAA and a .922 SV. As for Andersen, he lost both of his games against the Habs, posting a 3.73 GAA and an .806 SV.
If the Canes are to finally overcome this bump in the road that has given them so much trouble over the years, they will need Andersen to be at his very best and leave the past in the past.
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