RALEIGH, N.C. — On the surface, there was at least a whiff of panic and a touch of desperation.
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, named Page One in the Hockey Coaches Handbook for inspiring his team, made a goaltender change Thursday night.
The message was clear. The Hurricanes went into Game 3 at PNC Arena with a 2-0 deficit, hoping to overturn their playoff series against the Rangers in the second round of the Eastern Conference.
So in Carolina, starter Frederik Andersen missed the net and was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov.
Andersen didn’t play badly in the series, but he wasn’t a difference-maker either. In Game 2 on Tuesday night, he was defeated by Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin.
But that’s no shame, considering Shesterkin is one of the best netminders in the world and stopped 54 of Carolina’s 57 shots in a game the Rangers won 4-3 in overtime. .
Andersen posted impressive numbers in the regular season with a 13-2 record, a 1.84 goals against average, and a .932 save percentage. He missed 49 games early in the season due to blood clotting issues and returned on March 7.
He finished 9-1 in his final 10 starts of the regular season, and was 4-3 with a 2.58 goals against and .899 save percentage in the postseason through Game 3.
Kochetkov, who replaced him, posted a 23-13-4 record and 2.33 points per game in the regular season, but has not played since April 14 as Andersen became established as the No. 1 goaltender.
“Are you going back to Freddie?” Brind’Amour was asked hours before Thursday’s game.
“Um…yes…no,” Brind’Amour said. “I’m going with ‘Couch’ tonight.”
why?
“I think Freddie played really well, but he also played a lot. I think it’s best to give him a little bit of rest,” Brind’Amour said. “At the end of the day, [Kochetkov] He’s fresh and I hope he has a great game.”
With Kochetkov, the Hurricanes not only changed technique between the pipes, but also brought in a stronger personality.
“His attitude is different,” Brind’Amour said. “Freddie is really calm and cool, whereas ‘Couch’ is a little more passionate and expresses his emotions.”
Another change Brind’Amour made Thursday was the return to the ice of veteran center Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was injured in Game 2. Kuznetsov was benched after an undisciplined killer penalty in Game 1 that led to the Rangers’ key power-play goal.
“We all understand the situation and situation we’re in,” Brind’Amour said. “How can we find that little bit of extra play here and there that makes a difference? That’s what it is.”
The Rangers may like the fact that opposing coaches are looking for answers, but they’ve seen film of this goalie change before — in last season’s playoff opener. – but it didn’t go very well for them.
After losing the first two games of the series in New Jersey to the Rangers, Devils coach Lindy Ruff hit the goaltender change button in favor of untested 22-year-old Akira Schmidt and bench starter Vitek. Vanecek was benched.
All Schmidt did was lead the Devils to a 4-3 series victory, their first playoff series win in 11 years, defeating Shesterkin along the way. He led the Devils to wins in four of the five games he started, posting a 1.39 points average, .951 save percentage, and two shutouts in the series, the second of which came in Game 7.
So Thursday night’s net changes by Carolina had the feel of a beware of the playoff hotshot goalie.
“They have two good goaltenders,” Rangers manager Peter Laviolette said before the game. “We had one goaltender that we thought would start.” [Andersen], but prepared the other goaltender as well. That’s really all you can do. ”
Asked about the importance of testing Kochetkov since it’s been so long since he played in a game, Laviolette said, “I just want to test him. You’re always putting the puck on the net, the net on the net. trying to find people and quality [shots] Go to the internet. It’s important to have that mindset anyway. ”
Laviolette’s players shared his philosophy.
“It doesn’t change our mindset. We still want to get as many pucks to the net as possible,” winger Jimmy Vesey said.
“Nothing changes what we have to do,” said Mika Zibanejad, one of the Rangers’ top snipers. “Whenever we talk about our game, we want to get attempts on net and shoot a lot of pucks. We just have to keep shooting.”
