North Raleigh Today

For the first time in this postseason, the Carolina Hurricanes will have Pyotr Kochetkov as their goaltender when they face the New York Rangers for Game 3 on Thursday. Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour announced this decision during a media availability session, explaining that Frederik Andersen, who played the first seven games of the postseason, would benefit from some rest.

"Freddie's played really well, but he's also played a lot. I think giving him a little rest is the best thing," said Brind'Amour.

Kochetkov led the team with 42 games during the regular season and maintained a strong performance since December. He ended his final 30 appearances with a record of 19-7-3 and a .923 save percentage, just slightly behind NHL leaders Connor Hellebuyck and Joey Daccord.

Despite Kochetkov not having played since April 14, Brind'Amour expressed confidence in him. "At the end of the day, he's fresh. Hopefully, he has a great game," he stated.

Evgeny Kuznetsov will be back on the ice after being unexpectedly benched for Game 2. The coaching staff had chosen Max Comtois over him for that game; however, Comtois only saw 6:19 minutes of playtime. Kuznetsov contributed four points in his first six playoff games this year.

The projected lineup for tonight includes forwards Guentzel, Aho, Svechnikov; Martinook, Drury, Necas; Teravainen, Staal, Jarvis; Kotkaniemi, Kuznetsov, Noesen; defensemen Slavin-Burns; Skjei-DeAngelo; Orlov-Chatfield; and goaltender Kochetkov with Andersen or Martin as backup.

Injuries reported are Jesper Fast (upper-body) and Brett Pesce (lower-body). The scratches list includes Jackson Blake and several others.

Tonight's betting odds favor the Hurricanes at -175 according to Fanatics Sportsbook.