Frederik Andersen’s Stellar Postseason Boosting Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Chances

For the first time since 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes have reached the Stanley Cup Final. They will be playing for the most prestigious prize in hockey. They’ve reached the summit of the Eastern Conference with a 12-1 record. They’ll go up against the Vegas Golden Knights with Game 1 at the Lenovo Center just a few days away.

Carolina has played with the typical surge of a Hurricane. They come in waves, every line can win games, and every line plays well. All seven defensemen have sparkled for Carolina. The one guy who has played the entirety of this postseason is Frederik Andersen.

Redemption Arch

When the playoffs started six weeks ago, there was a debate as to who should be the Game 1 starter. Should the Hurricanes go with the 30-6-1 netminder in his first NHL season, or the veteran who looks like he was struggling? In the end, Carolina trusted a tie in net goes to the vet, and Andersen got the nod. He has repaid the faith shown in him by Hurricanes goalie coach Paul Schonfelder and head coach Rod Brind’Amour.

Now, we have to note what the Hurricanes call “the machine” in front of him. They’re blocking shots, getting their bodies in the way, cutting passing lanes, and making life really easy for their goaltender. They’ve given him a lot of support with their ability to suppress shots. The Montreal Canadiens broke records for fewest shots in a three-game span in the postseason, and the fewest ever recorded in a five-game series. Andersen had a lighter workload than many goalies in the conference finals.

It does not make what he did any less impressive. He shut the Canadiens out for a span of 160 minutes between the second period of Game 3 and the third period of Game 5. Andersen has allowed more than two goals just once in the postseason, and it was the only game the Hurricanes have lost. He’s got a .931 save percentage and a 1.41 goals-against average. On top of that, Freddie has three shutouts. He’s put to rest all of the doubt about his ability to be the backstop for a team to get the Stanley Cup Final.

Analytical Success

Freddie hasn’t just been carried by his defensive unit. According to MoneyPuck, only Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes has a better goals saved above expected (GSAx) than Carolina’s backstop. Even then, if you look at the goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60), Andersen leads all goaltenders with at least five postseason games played with 0.810. A GSAx of 11.5 in 13 games is just outstanding work from Andersen, and he’s continued to dispel some of the narratives around him as a playoff performer.