The Carolina Hurricanes failed to close out the series against the New York Rangers on Saturday night, meaning their second-round matchup will come down to a Game 7 in Carolina, set for Monday night. Antti Raanta, who had been excellent for the Canes throughout the playoffs, struggled mightily in Game 6, getting pulled midway through the second period in favor of the Hurricanes' young backup, Pyotr Kochetkov.

Despite Kochetkov getting the call to replace Raanta in Game 6, head coach Rod Brind'Amour has declared that it will be the veteran Raanta getting the start once again in Game 7, per ESPN. 

Raanta will get the chance to redeem himself after a woeful performance in Game 6 that let the Rangers extend the series to seven games. The 33-year-old has never been a starter in his entire NHL career, but with Frederik Andersen injured, he's stepped up and played phenomenally for the Hurricanes in the playoffs. Fatigue may be weighing in on Raanta, however, as he's playing a vastly increased workload in the playoffs compared to what he saw in the regular season.

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Despite those concerns, Brind'Amour will deploy the 33-year-old in the cage for the do-or-die game, trusting the goaltender who got them this far in the playoffs. Of course, Kochetkov will be waiting in the wings in case Raanta fails to produce, but that will be a worst-case scenario for Brind'Amour and the Canes, who are hopeful Raanta will return to his dominant form for Game 7.

Throughout the playoffs, Raanta has registered a stellar 2.20 GAA with a .924 save percentage across 12 games, rivaling Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers throughout the series.