Hurricanes turn back to Frederik Andersen in net for do-or-die Game 4 vs. Panthers

New York Times

26-05-2025

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A few minutes after Frederik Andersen finished working out in the Carolina Hurricanes' starter's net and was the first goalie off the ice — two signs that he'd return for Game 4, with his team down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers — coach Rod Brind'Amour tried to be coy.
Brind'Amour, asked Monday afternoon whether it'd be Andersen or Game 3 starter Pyotr Kochetkov in net at Amerant Arena trying to extend Carolina's season, took a decent-length pause.
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'Freddie's starting,' he said eventually.
'I always think it'd be nice to just hold that info. But no, Freddie's gonna start. He's been great for us all year and he had a nice couple days off, so it makes sense to chuck him in there.'
After an outstanding start to the postseason, Andersen was part of a long list of Hurricanes who struggled through Games 1 and 2, allowing nine goals on 36 shots (five in Game 1, four in Game 2, for a .750 save percentage) and saved about 5.5 goals below expected.
Kochetkov was good for two periods in Game 3, stopping 14 of Florida's 15 shots, but allowed five goals on 13 in the third period. Brind'Amour complimented Kochetkov's play on Sunday — the team around him had unraveled, after all — but announced Andersen will be back in the net, all the same.
Brind'Amour brought up Andersen's ability to effectively return from long absences in his career — most recently following knee surgery this season and a blood clotting issue in 2023-24 — as reasons not to worry about him getting a two-day, four-period break.
'One of the things that's great about him is he's had so many trials and tribulations through his career,' Brind'Amour said. 'He's taken months off and then plops into the net and it feels like he hasn't missed a beat. I don't know how that is, but certainly (it's) a unique skillset. We need it tonight, obviously.'
Carolina will again be without defensemen Jalen Chatfield (lower-body injury) and Sean Walker (upper body) for Game 4. Chatfield hasn't played since Game 4 of Carolina's five-game win over Washington in the second round. Walker was injured in Game 2 against the Panthers.
Brind'Amour, at various points, has lamented their absences, particularly that of Chatfield, who typically plays on the second pair with Dmitry Orlov. Perhaps not coincidentally, Orlov was brutal in Game 3.
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'It's something we've had over the years really, really locked down, and to lose a couple of guys that are so important to that, be throwing in guys that haven't played at this level, you're asking a lot for sure,' he said.
Chatfield and Walker will be replaced again by rookies Alexander Nikishin, who's played twice in the postseason, and Scott Morrow, who's played three times. Both looked significantly more comfortable in Game 3 than in their limited previous action, a fact Brind'Amour noted, but the situation, he said, is still far from ideal.
'When you get in the playoffs, you've gotta make sure you probably have a little more depth in that spot, just because it's not fair to put those guys in that situation,' Brind'Amour said. 'Having said that, they've done a great job. I mean, Nikishin the other night, I was really proud of how from one game to the next, the change. Morrow hung in there, too. So it's good on those guys.'
Hurricanes winger Seth Jarvis, like Brind'Amour, said the team will miss Chatfield and Walker but liked what the rookies brought to the lineup.
'Walks has been incredible this playoffs,' Jarvis said. 'Chatty is always so steady and so underrated. So losing those two guys sucked. but (Nikishin) and (Morrow) came in and played a big physical role for us. Scottie's been moving the puck well. We have all the confidence in the world in those guys stepping up.'
(Top photo of Frederik Andersen: James Guillory / Imagn Images)