Lenovo Center | Carolina Hurricanes
Lenovo Center | Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are facing a temporary setback as goaltender Frederik Andersen is sidelined with a lower-body injury. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour disclosed that Andersen is now considered week-to-week after sustaining the injury during Saturday's game in Seattle.
"It's a little more time than I was hoping," Brind'Amour stated, expressing his earlier optimism that Andersen's absence would be brief.
Andersen, who had an impressive start to the season with a league-leading 1.48 goals against average and a .941 save percentage, will miss several games. This comes after he spent months off last season due to a blood-clotting issue.
In Andersen's absence, Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to step up as the team's primary goaltender. "He really wants that. We'll see how it all works out here, but he's more than likely going to get a good run at it," Brind'Amour added regarding Kochetkov's opportunity.
Kochetkov has played 73 career games with a record of 41-21-9 and a .909 save percentage. He was also named to the NHL's 2023-24 All-Rookie team this summer.
Spencer Martin is also on standby, but Brind'Amour hopes that Kochetkov can demonstrate his readiness for the role.