The Carolina Hurricanes took a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night, winning 5-2. In what has been an extremely physical two games thus far, there have been huge hits, and collisions with goalies. In Game 2, Bruins forward David Pastrnak collided with Hurricanes net minder Antti Raanta, leaving him bloodied and forced to leave for the rest of the game.
On Friday, the Hurricanes got some good news regarding not one, but two goalies, as noted by NHL.com.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour, while speaking after practice on Thursday, commented that Raanta appears likely to be able to play in Game 3 Friday night.
“We put [Raanta] on the ice today. It's a good sign,” Brind'Amour said. “He's still not 100 percent, so I'm not sure where he will be tomorrow. Hopefully he will be OK to get in there. I'm not sure at this point.”
In his absence, rookie goalie Pyotr Kochetkov made 30 saves helping Carolina to the win.
Article Continues BelowLet's not forget that even Raanta had been the primary backup net minder for the Hurricanes this season. Frederik Andersen made 51 starts in goal for Carolina this season and was one of the best goalies in the NHL. He has not played since April 16th after sustaining an upper body injury in a 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Brind'Amour mentioned that Andersen is progressing slowly, but he's “definitely getting closer.”
With Carolina in great position to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the fact that Andersen is getting closer to returning should excite Hurricanes fans.