Andersen healthy, thriving for Hurricanes against Devils in 1st round

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Frederik Andersen is soft-spoken by nature, and that wasn't about to change when he spoke with the media after making 25 saves in the Carolina Hurricanes' 3-1 win against the New Jersey Devils at Lenovo Center on Tuesday, giving Carolina a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round series.

So when Andersen was asked to reflect on the health issues that have interrupted his past two seasons, the 35-year-old goalie responded in what has become his go-to manner: focusing on the present.

"I try not to think too much about it," he said. "I just try to enjoy the moment and be ready when called upon. Just happy to get to play again and get to have another fun experience out there."

After making 23 saves in a 4-1 win in Game 1, the Hurricanes went back to Andersen for Game 2, marking the first time all season he'd started consecutive games. Andersen sustained a knee injury in October, had surgery Nov. 22, and missed 39 games, leading to a season-long platoon with Pyotr Kochetkov.

But the knee surgery wasn’t the only reason the Hurricanes have been careful with Andersen. In 2023-24, he missed 50 games because a blood-clotting issue before returning to the lineup in March. In the spring of 2022, his first season in Carolina, he missed the final six games of the regular season all 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games because of a knee injury.

"When he's been in, he's been an impact player," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. "The blood clotting issue is not something that happens to many players. But it's under medical care now and shouldn't be a recurring issue. This year, unfortunately, he needed a little surgery. He has felt much better since he came back from that. He feels as comfortable as he's been in years, and he's playing as well as he has in years. We have all the trust in the world in him when he's out on the ice."

So do his teammates.

"He's superb,” defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "There's no other word for it. It's pretty comfortable when you know you've got a third line of defense back there."

In 22 regular season games, Andersen went 13-8-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. He matched the second-longest winning streak of his NHL career when his seventh straight victory was a 20-save effort in a 5-1 win against the Washington Capitals on April 2 that clinched the Hurricanes' playoff berth.

"Whether he has a great game or a game he would like to have back, you would never know," Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "It's just very, very calm. And I think the way he plays in net is very calming too. So in these moments especially, when it is very chaotic and stressful, it doesn't really feel like it with him in the net. That's kind of what you get when you watch him play."

That poise was evident during a third-period New Jersey power-play Tuesday, when Andersen made a pad save on Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton's shot. Then 32 seconds later, he pushed across the crease to stop Timo Meier's one-timer from the right circle and then closed the five-hole to thwart a stuff chance by Stefan Noesen.

"You've got to give it to Freddie," forward Jordan Martinook said. "He made some unbelievable saves, especially in the third period where they were pushing. There were three I could think of off the top of my head. Whenever we had a lull or lapse, he was there to shut the door."

But the strong back-to-back starts aren't necessarily building blocks for Andersen, who doesn't think about his game that way.

"I try not to," he said. "That's the biggest thing for a goalie, to focus on what's in front of you or the next shift or the next chance against. Do your best, and trust that your ability is good enough to have success."

Andersen's success leaves Carolina with a good dilemma for Game 3 at Prudential Center on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MAX, MSGSN, TBS, TVAS2, SN360): Is a goaltending tandem still a viable option? Or is it time to trust a calm, healthy goalie with his thoughts firmly rooted in the moment?

"We brought him in here to be that guy," Brind'Amour said. "We know we've got confidence in 'Kooch' too. He's played really well in stretches too. It's early in the playoffs here.

"Are we going to keep doing this? We'll see how he feels and gauge everything. We know we have to watch it with him because he hasn't had as much of a workload. But that's a bonus too, that he hasn't played that much this year. He's maybe the freshest guy out there."