The Hurricanes have used Frederik Andersen for most of the playoffs, but with Carolina’s season ending Monday night, it’s still unclear who will be in net.
After Andersen looked shaky early in the third period and allowed a sweet goal to tie the game in Saturday’s Game 4, manager Rod Brind’Amour decided to schedule Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. He did not say whether he would use a Danish player or Pyotr Kochetkov.
“Just like we have always done,” Brind’Amour told reporters. speak to [goaltending coach Paul Schonfelder], see how the goalie feels and make a decision. ”
Kochetkov received his first call-up in Game 3 of the postseason, stopping 22 of 25 shots as the Rangers won 3-2 in overtime.
The biggest concern right now is that the 34-year-old Andersen is physically depleted, as he did not start any consecutive games in the regular season after returning from a blood clot injury in mid-March.
Andersen started all of the first-round games against the Islanders and the first two games against the Rangers and was eventually rested, but continued to look tired in Game 4.
He hasn’t had a save percentage above .900 in a game since Game 5 against the Islanders two weeks ago, but his 22 stops were enough for Saturday’s victory.
“It doesn’t really matter which players are there,” Jordan Martinook told reporters. “We have full confidence in who’s going to be between the pipes. Look at Couch, his Game 3 was pretty great. Freddie made some big stops last night. Big deal. I think that something big is necessary at this moment.
“Those games, if it goes in a different direction, you’re going to be chasing it even more, big stages and big moments. It doesn’t matter which players we go with, we don’t care who goes in. I am satisfied.”
Analytically speaking, Keynes was better in this series, but the results don’t bear that out.
Instead, the Rangers’ dominance on special teams became their trump card, holding a 3-1 lead with a chance to shut out Carolina on home ice.
The Hurricanes, who scored on the power play for the first time in the entire series on Brady Skjei’s game-winner on Saturday, were doing what any team in their position would do and trying to shift the pressure to their opponents ahead of Game 5.
“All I’m saying is it’s going to be a dogfight.” [Monday]”Evgeny Kuznetsov told reporters. “There’s going to be a bowl and two dogs and they’re going to compete against each other. They know they don’t want to come back here. [to Raleigh]. They know this place is going to be hell. ”
