Frederik Andersen is the “hot hand”
Let’s be fair and honest for a minute: Frederik Andersen allowed more than one shot on goal to fly by him, but the post was willing to help. Either way, he still made his fair share of spectacular saves, and he came up big when the Hurricanes needed him to.
Overall, he faced 34 shots on goal while allowing just one to get past him AND into the netting. Even if Andersen had allowed another goal get by, which would have forced overtime, he’s still the hot hand over Pyotr Kochetkov, despite the latter’s stellar 0.911 save percentage, 2.33 GAA, and four shutouts this season.
Andersen, who saw time in just 16 games this season because of blood clotting that forced him out of action between November 2nd and March 7th, dominated down the stretch with a 13-2-0 record, a 0.932 save percentage, a 1.84 GAA, and three shutouts.
Andersen was on, even if the Hurricanes weren’t for a great portion of the game. And if the Islanders plan on winning Game 2, they must find a way to get around the Hurricanes star goaltender assuming he’s back in the net. If not, expect a similar result that will give the Canes a commanding 2-0 lead before the series heads to Long Island.