The Carolina Hurricanes have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eliminating the New Jersey Devils in a relatively quick five-game series.
Carolina suffered an injury scare during their series against the Devils, losing goaltender Frederik Andersen in Sunday’s Game 4. He was hurt in a collision with New Jersey’s Timo Meier. He was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov, who subsequently picked up the victory in that contest and in the deciding Game 5.
The good news for the Hurricanes is that Andersen has returned to practice. He skated with the rest of his teammates on Friday and later said that he was feeling good, via NHL.com.
“You never want to leave a game in the middle of a playoff series,” Andersen said. “Obviously, we were still able to close out the win there. Happy about that, but obviously it [stinks] not being able to be out there.”
So far in the playoffs, Andersen has posted impressive stats. He owns a 3-1 record with a 1.59 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage.
Andersen and the Hurricanes will now take on the Washington Capitals. Washington advanced with a five-game series victory of their own over the Montreal Canadiens. The opening date of the series has yet to be announced by the NHL.
Hurricanes’ Frederik Andersen struggled with injury in 2024-25
Andersen, who is playing in his fourth season with Carolina, missed 39 games during the 2024-25 regular season. This missed time stemmed from a knee injury suffered in October that eventually required surgical repair. In 22 games played, he posted a record of 13-8-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
His strong postseason play against the Devils prior to his injury drew a rave review from teammate Dmitri Orlov, who noted his calm disposition.
“Freddie was unreal in the games against New Jersey,” Orlov told NHL.com. “He made some saves that kept us in the game. He’s always calm, he’s got a lot of experience. He’s always chill, not emotional a lot. Our job is to make sure he sees the puck, take the sticks away for the tips and block a shot sometimes. Whatever helps him (because) he’s going to help us.”
So far in his NHL career, Andersen has earned a postseason record of 41-31 with a 2.42 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, and three shutouts.
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