RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes will be without goaltender Frederik Andersen for at least a few games.
After "coming up a little gimpy" following Saturday's win in Seattle, Rod Brind'Amour shared on Thursday that the veteran backstop is now considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
"It's a little more time than I was hoping," the head coach updated, after saying earlier in the week that he was optimistic Andersen wouldn't be out for too long.
A tough blow to a player who missed several months last season due to a blood-clotting issue, #31 was among the best goaltenders in the NHL to start this season. His 1.48 goals against average led all qualified netminders and his .941 save percentage is only bested by Lukas Dostal of Anaheim (.943).
With Andersen relegated to the press box for a bit, Pyotr Kochetkov will have a chance to take over the crease for a while. Spencer Martin was recalled from Chicago on Monday morning, but Brind'Amour is hoping Carolina's 2019 second-round draft pick can show he's ready to take the reins.
"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," the head coach continued.
Kochetkov is 41-21-9 in 73 career games with a .909 save percentage. This summer he was named to the NHL's 2023-24 All-Rookie team.
